Joxer of the Jungle
by raysweetie
Summary: This is a UB story Joxer in a Tarzen like story
1. Default Chapter

Joxer of the Jungle  
  
By Susan Owens and Lori Bush  
  
In Response to the SUJE Costume Challenge  
  
Part One of Seven  
  
Disclaimer: We do not own the Xena characters or any of the historical  
  
persons. Certain characters, however, are all ours. The story is an   
  
uber,  
  
with a mix of Xena characters recast, fictional characters, and actual  
  
historical characters. Don't sue us, 'kay?  
  
Rated: PG  
  
Warning: Death and violence  
  
Notes (by Lori): This is in answer to Costume Challenge number three -  
  
to  
  
wit:  
  
Challenge #3 -- Baby Joxer is separated from his family and raised by   
  
wild  
  
animals a la Tarzan. Write a story where this AU Joxer meets up with   
  
Xena  
  
and Gabrielle. REQUIREMENTS: animal skin loincloth, a "special   
  
skill" for  
  
Joxer, swinging on vines, and talking to animals.  
  
I have worked with Susan in the past, but mostly as an editor. This   
  
is the  
  
first thing we have actually co-written. Actually, this is the first   
  
thing I  
  
have *ever* co-written outside of RoundRobins, and we had a ball with   
  
it. We  
  
took turns writing sections, passing them back and forth with only the  
  
briefest of discussion about details, and I think it came together   
  
nicely.  
  
This was originally released as a Work In Progress on the SUJE list.   
  
It is  
  
now completed, and I had promised to share it with my other lists, so   
  
here  
  
it is. I had done considerable editing on the various parts while we   
  
were  
  
writing the others, but somehow, when I redid my harddrive, the files   
  
I had  
  
backed up didn't include this one. So I'm cutting and pasting from the  
  
original issue, and since it was unbeta'd, this is even more so.   
  
Sorry.  
  
~**~  
  
The barge drifted down the overgrown river in Borneo. It was 1877,   
  
and a  
  
young woman was sitting on a bench rocking her young child. Her name   
  
was  
  
Lady Janine, and she was on her way to meet her husband Lord Malcolm,   
  
and  
  
her other two sons. They had gone on ahead with the help. Her   
  
youngest son  
  
had been sick and not able to travel, but now he was better. She   
  
cooed at  
  
him in his basket, and he smiled up at her.  
  
The entire trip had been difficult, and plagued by one mishap after   
  
another.  
  
But, suddenly something seemed even more wrong. The men were shouting   
  
at  
  
each other. Lady Janine's baby was grabbed by one of the men, who   
  
shouted,  
  
"This child is the cause of our bad luck. Let's throw it to the   
  
alligators."  
  
Most of the crew were local natives, a superstitious and pagan lot,   
  
and  
  
although the woman was afraid of them, her husband had assured her by   
  
letter  
  
that she would be perfectly safe.  
  
"NO!" Lady Janine screamed as she grabbed for her child. The man took   
  
his  
  
knife and stabbed Lady Janine in the chest. The last thing she saw   
  
before  
  
she died was her child being tossed into the river. The men watched   
  
as the  
  
basket drifted down the river. One sympathetic man placed his hand on   
  
his  
  
heart. "May the Gods be with you, child," he whispered.  
  
The basket carrying the baby drifted down the river. A figure from   
  
the trees  
  
saw it, and wondered at the strange item. The watcher was a female  
  
orangutan. She ran down towards the banks of the river and took a   
  
stick and  
  
pulled the basket in. Looking into the basket, she saw the child,   
  
crying.  
  
The orangutan picked up the boy and held him. She had just lost her   
  
own baby  
  
to the cruelty of the jungle, and she still had her milk, which the   
  
hungry  
  
child found and began to drink. The orangutan held the child close   
  
and began  
  
to climb the tree to the place where she lived.  
  
~**~  
  
"Mamma," Joxer whined to Sheera, "Jett won't let me have *any* of the  
  
termites he found. He said Jace could, but I couldn't." The female   
  
orangutan  
  
that had rescued the baby from the river those eight years ago looked   
  
up  
  
from the new child she was feeding and smacked her lips in annoyance.  
  
"Joxer, how many times do I have to tell you not to let your cousin  
  
intimidate you? I know all three of you boys went searching for that   
  
nest  
  
together, and you have every bit as much of a right to your share as   
  
Jace  
  
and Jett have to theirs." She looked indulgently at her eldest child -  
  
her  
  
sister's children treated him badly and called him "pale and hairless   
  
one"  
  
behind her back, she knew. She had asked her sisters to talk to the   
  
boys,  
  
but children were difficult. He was more slender than the other   
  
children,  
  
with hair only on his head, that hung to his shoulders in a shade of   
  
dark  
  
brown that contrasted with the red fur of the rest of the family. She   
  
had  
  
helped him fashion a breechcloth from the skin of a dead elk that   
  
they had  
  
found, and he wore it tied at his waist, because the other males   
  
found that  
  
particular portion of his anatomy even funnier than the rest of his   
  
smooth  
  
body.  
  
Only his eyes offered any threat to the other creatures of the   
  
forest. He  
  
had a look that would sometimes cross his face when he sensed danger   
  
that  
  
terrified those who saw it - she had seen him use it purposely only   
  
once,  
  
when a panther refused to listen to reason, although he had spoken   
  
wisely to  
  
it as it circled an injured baby hippo. Sheera had screamed her   
  
warning to  
  
her son, and the killer had laughed the small hairless ape off, until   
  
she  
  
looked directly in his eyes. That panther disappeared in terror,   
  
never to be  
  
seen in their part of the forest again.  
  
Besides, Sheera was also aware that her sister's boys would not allow   
  
any of  
  
the other adolescents to tease or abuse Joxer in front of them. They   
  
truly  
  
cared about him, but he was such an easy target for their childish   
  
pranks  
  
and the power plays that young males practiced in preparation for   
  
mating  
  
someday. She sighed at that thought - most of the young males left   
  
after  
  
fifteen cold seasons and found a female to mate with, but her child   
  
was not  
  
yet drawing the eye of any of the females around, and that seemed   
  
unlikely  
  
to change. Even his cousins, after only eight cold seasons, had   
  
admiring  
  
females. They were handsome boys. Joxer was indeed too different for   
  
most  
  
tastes, although she found him perfectly beautiful.  
  
"Hey, Keenan," he cooed at his baby brother, making faces. The little   
  
one,  
  
who adored his older sibling and had no idea that he was anything   
  
different,  
  
giggled. Having finished his meal, he held his arms out, and Joxer   
  
plucked  
  
him up, tossing him high a few times to the baby's vocal enjoyment.   
  
Sheera  
  
had to admit - her mate had no more use for the little one than he   
  
did their  
  
adopted child. His only comment after the birth had been, "At least   
  
this one  
  
*looks* normal." Then he had lumbered off to hunt, and was gone for   
  
several  
  
days. He had never fully accepted Joxer as his son, although she was  
  
beginning to think it had less to do with the boy than her mate.  
  
She reclaimed her youngest from his brother. "If you don't mind, son,   
  
I'd  
  
like his meal to remain within him where it will do the most good.   
  
Now, go  
  
find those cousins of yours, and reclaim what you are due." Keenan   
  
chittered  
  
in happy baby talk as Joxer loped off to see if there were any of the  
  
delicious termites remaining. If so, he was going to bring some home   
  
to his  
  
mother.  
  
~**~  
  
"Joxer!" Sheera called into the leafy dampness. Her eldest son swung   
  
from  
  
branch to branch, moving smoothly until he landed on the wide natural  
  
platform where she waited.  
  
"Yes, Momma," he answered, looking at her gently. As he had aged,   
  
those  
  
soft, gentle eyes of his had grown more threatening in anger, and   
  
many of  
  
the animals knew and feared his gaze. Now that he was fully-grown, he   
  
stood  
  
head and shoulders above the other males when fully upright, although   
  
his  
  
body still looked frail in comparison. His shoulders were wider, his   
  
arms  
  
shorter, his legs longer than the other young males. One by one, his   
  
cousins  
  
of similar age had found females and left the family group. Jett, for   
  
one,  
  
had a large family group of his own now. Only Joxer and Jace   
  
remained -  
  
neither had found a mate among the neighboring females. She had to   
  
admit  
  
that Joxer's mating cry didn't sound quite like the rest of the   
  
males. Jace  
  
had never even tried.  
  
Her boy had admitted that, in spite of the fact that he found *her*  
  
beautiful, as only a child could see his mother, the females he had   
  
met  
  
didn't appeal to him. Still, he was looking, he assured Sheera. As it   
  
was,  
  
she found it comforting to have him there to help her. Keenan, after   
  
twelve  
  
cold seasons, was becoming rowdy and difficult. But he worshipped and  
  
usually obeyed his older sibling, so often, she relied on Joxer to   
  
tend to  
  
him while she cared for the young female that had been born almost   
  
four  
  
seasons ago.  
  
She reached out for her boy, who crouched in the normal waiting   
  
position.  
  
Absently grooming his dark chestnut hair in affection, she almost   
  
hesitated  
  
to ask for what she needed. "Joxer, dear, would you take Keenan with   
  
you  
  
today? I have a lot to do, and he isn't usually a lot of help with   
  
Raylan.  
  
In fact, he usually ends up making her cry."  
  
As if called, the little female skittered into the nest, squealing at   
  
the  
  
sight of her oldest brother. "Joxer, Joxer," she cried, bouncing to   
  
his  
  
shoulders, then into his lap, chattering the whole time, "Momma's   
  
gonna show  
  
me where to find *figs*! I *love* figs! Can you come too, can you,   
  
can you?"  
  
Finishing up while swinging from his forearm as if it were a branch,   
  
she  
  
turned shining, pleading eyes on him.  
  
He gathered her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Raylan, but Keenan and I   
  
have," he  
  
hesitated, looking darkly at his mother, "plans. Maybe next time."  
  
Her disappointment was there and then gone like the butterfly,   
  
flitting away  
  
in the face of a new excitement. "Okay. Momma, can I go tell Teera? I   
  
see  
  
her over there." Without waiting for the answer, the little one was   
  
gone,  
  
swinging eagerly through the trees and calling her cousin's name.  
  
"You say you want me to mate, but no female is going to look at me   
  
with a  
  
*child* tagging after me," Joxer complained without spirit to his   
  
mother.  
  
"I heard that," his brother's youthful voice interrupted. "I am *not*   
  
a  
  
child! Raylan is a child." The nearly full-grown male landed in the   
  
nest,  
  
pouting. His expression mirrored perfectly that of the tiny female   
  
that had  
  
just left.  
  
"Okay," Joxer answered, amused, "You're with me today, Mr. 'Not A   
  
Child'.  
  
Let's go - I'm supposed to meet Chula in a little while." His brother   
  
pulled  
  
away as the elder messed his fur, but followed eagerly and willingly,  
  
swinging behind him on his way.  
  
~**~  
  
As Joxer and Keenan came to the clearing, Joxer told his brother not   
  
to make  
  
a sound. He had to see if the coast was clear. Keenan snorted - he   
  
was not  
  
afraid of anything, and yet Joxer sometimes still treated him like a   
  
baby.  
  
"I'm not a baby."  
  
"Quiet "Joxer ordered. He slowly looked around and tested the air for   
  
any  
  
strange or unfamiliar smells. It seemed safe, and he was about to   
  
call for  
  
Keenan, when suddenly something jumped on him and knocked him down.  
  
"Guess who"? teased the growling voice.  
  
"Chula, will you please get off of me?"  
  
The young female jaguar moved off and sat down. "You know, Joxer, you   
  
really  
  
are no fun sometimes."  
  
"Yeah, well you're getting bigger, and a lot stronger."  
  
"Don't worry Jox. You know you're safe. You and me are friends." She   
  
looked  
  
at his brother. "But I am kind of hungry."  
  
Keenan was frightened but he stood tall before Chula. Joxer stepped   
  
between  
  
them. His eyes were narrow, and he was glaring at her. Chula backed   
  
away.  
  
"Hey! I was just kidding." She decided to change the subject. "Hey,   
  
Jox, I  
  
saw some strange animals today. They look something like you."  
  
"You mean they're orangutans?"  
  
"You know, Jox, I'm not the smartest jaguar in the jungle, but I do   
  
know  
  
that you're different from the other orangutans. You have very little   
  
fur,  
  
you're taller then the rest of the males, you have no cheek pouches,   
  
and  
  
your mating call is terrible."  
  
"Hey, it's not that bad," Joxer defended.  
  
"You haven't mated yet, have you? That should tell you something."   
  
She could  
  
tell he was getting annoyed with her again. "Come on - I'll show you.   
  
Tell  
  
the squirt to stay behind."  
  
Keenan did not want to be left behind. "Joxer, I'm coming, or I'll   
  
tell mom  
  
that your best friend is a jaguar."  
  
Chula looked at Joxer. "Your mom doesn't know?"  
  
Joxer shook his head. "She wouldn't understand."  
  
Chula laughed, "Yeah, mine wouldn't either. If I still had one."  
  
********************************************  
  
Her name was Gabrielle Taylor, and she had just turned eighteen years   
  
old.  
  
By this age, she should be married or at least betrothed, but   
  
Gabrielle was  
  
a spitfire, and no man could tame her. She wanted to be an artist, not  
  
someone's wife. Her best friend and bodyguard was a woman in her early  
  
twenties named Xena. Xena had been chosen to be Gabrielle's   
  
bodyguard by  
  
her father, Sir Reginald Taylor, because Gabrielle had refused to   
  
consider a  
  
male bodyguard.  
  
She was now in the camp in Borneo with her canvas, getting ready to   
  
paint.  
  
Chula, Joxer, and Keenan watched her through the bushes. Joxer just   
  
stared.  
  
She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Keenan noticed   
  
his  
  
look. "What's the matter with you?"  
  
Joxer looked at him. "Are you kidding? She's beautiful."  
  
Keenan just shook his head. "I think she's ugly." He looked his   
  
brother  
  
over. "Almost as ugly as you are."  
  
Joxer turned on him. "Well, I don't, and I am going to give her my   
  
mating  
  
call."  
  
Chula and Keenan both backed away. Chula looked around   
  
nervously. "You know,  
  
I really gotta go hunting. See ya later."  
  
Keenan climbed up a tree. "I think it's safer up here."  
  
Joxer ignored them and stood tall, letting out his mating call.  
  
~**~  
  
Xena watched her friend and charge setting up to paint. "I dunno why   
  
you 'ad  
  
ta come ta the bleedin' *rain forest* ta paint," she complained. Since  
  
Gabrielle traveled in high society circles in London, Xena was   
  
careful there  
  
to modulate her Cockney accent and speak in cultured tones. Out here,   
  
in the  
  
middle of nowhere with only her best friend, she could relax and not   
  
be  
  
concerned about her elocution. "Criminey, it *rains* all th' damned   
  
time!"  
  
Gabrielle could help but release an unladylike snort. "That's why   
  
they call  
  
it the *rain forest*, Xena. And we came during the dry season - I   
  
could have  
  
really made you suffer, and come during monsoon season." She belted   
  
on the  
  
smock that would protect her fine clothing - her proper Victorian   
  
father had  
  
chafed at allowing her to come all the way to this island with only a   
  
guide  
  
and her erstwhile bodyguard, but given in. She could not, however,   
  
convince  
  
him to allow her to wear the more practical men's trousers. She   
  
supposed she  
  
was lucky to be here at all. "Besides," she continued mildly, "the   
  
rain is  
  
the reason they have such beautiful flora and fauna here."  
  
"Ya mean th' plants?" Xena saw her friend roll her eyes and nod. The  
  
bodyguard settled into one of the fancy chairs that the native guides   
  
had  
  
set up before they left. As was the upper-class fashion, they brought   
  
with  
  
them everything they possibly could in order to simulate their home   
  
life in  
  
London. Their tent had a heavy wooden floor, and real mattresses on   
  
the  
  
beds. They even had small chifferobes for their clothing. The food,   
  
however,  
  
was not going to last long, and their guide had gone into the woods   
  
to hunt  
  
and forage for the women.  
  
Growing up orphaned and poor on London's South Side had taught Xena a   
  
lot,  
  
and one of the things that had helped her survive had been her   
  
instincts.  
  
Her instincts now told her not to trust their guide, Drake O'Malley,   
  
farther  
  
than she could throw him. He was a native of Borneo, but had been   
  
taken off  
  
the island at a very young age and educated in England by a missionary  
  
group, one of whose members had adopted him. His dark skin and hair   
  
were the  
  
only resemblance he bore to the other native guides he had procured   
  
to move  
  
their belongings, and even when he spoke their language you could   
  
hear the  
  
British accent in his words. His clothing was impeccable, and his   
  
manners  
  
sublime. But his eyes were wild and frightening, and Xena couldn't   
  
help but  
  
feel that she and Gabrielle were merely convenient tools that would   
  
help him  
  
get whatever he was really here for. She didn't care for the way he   
  
looked  
  
at Gabrielle, either.  
  
Gabrielle had been the only good thing in Xena's life, ever. They had   
  
become  
  
friends when just in their early teens, when the younger girl had been  
  
caught out on the streets in a terrible rainstorm without her   
  
umbrella, and  
  
taken shelter in a doorway Xena had already occupied. The little   
  
blonde was  
  
friendly and outgoing, politely ignoring the other girl's shabby   
  
condition.  
  
When the storm ended, she had taken her new friend back to her   
  
palatial town  
  
home in the finest area of the city, and *demanded* her father allow   
  
Xena to  
  
stay. Sir Reginald had never really known how to refuse his headstrong  
  
child, and after many legal inquiries, it was decided that Xena had   
  
no blood  
  
relatives to object, and would stay at the Taylor household.  
  
The girl from the streets was educated and outfitted alongside the   
  
daughter  
  
of one of London's leading families, but she never entirely lost the   
  
wild  
  
child she had been. So when Gabrielle began to wheedle for the trip to  
  
Borneo to paint the scenery, her father arranged for Xena to have   
  
formal  
  
training in the arts of personal protection. His first suggestion of a  
  
professional bodyguard had been met with near violent opposition, and   
  
so,  
  
the friend and foundling became the guardian. She would have already   
  
given  
  
her life for the blonde, but now she had the skills to really *do*  
  
something, should she ever be threatened.  
  
She was about to make an idle comment about the heat and humidity,   
  
just to  
  
stir up the young painter, when a cry, something not quite human,   
  
ripped  
  
through the camp. Gabrielle dropped her brush as Xena leapt to her   
  
feet. The  
  
blonde woman's heart had almost slowed down when she saw the big cat   
  
creep  
  
from the brush toward her. She screamed herself.  
  
~**~  
  
Joxer saw both the females react to his cry. He was satisfied that he   
  
now  
  
had their attention. His best friend slunk up behind him, resting her   
  
jaw on  
  
his shoulder as he crouched, waiting. "Looks like it worked, Jox, but   
  
on the  
  
wrong one," Chula growled quietly in his ear.  
  
Sure enough, the dark one was moving smoothly in his direction, a   
  
shiny  
  
object in her hand. "I'll go talk to the other one, while you make   
  
your  
  
apologies to this one," Chula chuckled. "Otherwise, you could end up   
  
with  
  
the wrong mate. I gotta say, I never thought that cry of yours could   
  
attract  
  
a single female, let alone *two*." She slunk through the trees toward   
  
the  
  
smaller of the two strange creatures.  
  
Xena held her knife at the ready, and cursed Drake for taking the   
  
gun. They  
  
only had one, and she knew that he needed it for hunting, but still...  
  
Quietly, she crept in the direction of the cry, hoping that whatever   
  
had  
  
made that ungodly sound was in danger itself, and not a danger to her   
  
or her  
  
friend. A rustling of leaves let her know that whatever it had been   
  
was  
  
still there. She was nearly to the spot when Gabrielle screamed.  
  
Joxer was startled - most females didn't cry out in return. Then he   
  
saw the  
  
dark one spin, and he could smell their fear. Suddenly, it   
  
registered -  
  
Chula! Most animals feared the jaguar, and rightly so. She was a   
  
fierce  
  
hunter, swift and deadly. He had seen her in action himself, and was  
  
grateful that she was his friend. These two creatures couldn't know   
  
that she  
  
was not there to harm them. Without further thought, Joxer sprang   
  
from the  
  
branch, grabbing a vine and swinging over the head of the dark one to   
  
land  
  
between his chosen and Chula. Growling in his friend's tongue, he   
  
warned  
  
her, "They're afraid. Go back!"  
  
Confused, Chula replied, "But I don't plan to hurt them."  
  
"They don't know that. Go on - I'll handle it." She hesitated, and he  
  
snarled in impatience. Giving up, the jaguar turned tail and left.  
  
Crouching in a non-threatening stance, he turned to the beautiful   
  
female and  
  
comforted her in orangutan, "Don't worry, she's gone now. She wasn't   
  
going  
  
to hurt you." The female's face still looked troubled, and now she   
  
looked  
  
confused as well.  
  
Xena was almost in shock when the pale golden figure shot through the   
  
air  
  
above her and landed in front of the jaguar. Then there was growling   
  
and  
  
snarling between them, and the big cat retreated. Turning, the man   
  
hunched  
  
down and began to screech at her best friend.  
  
For it *was* a man - a tall, lean man, dressed in nothing but a   
  
loincloth,  
  
with long chestnut hair streaming down his back. Otherwise, his   
  
golden body  
  
seemed nearly hairless. The muscles of his arms and chest, as well as   
  
his  
  
upper back were sleek and firm, and his legs also appeared powerful.   
  
Afraid  
  
to lower the knife, but somehow comforted by his appearance, she   
  
approached  
  
slowly. Gabrielle saw her, and held up her hand. Never taking her   
  
eyes off  
  
the figure before her, she called, "Stop, Xena. He saved me. I don't   
  
think  
  
he means us any harm." Then she lowered her hand, and held it out to   
  
him in  
  
greeting - like one would offer one's palm to a strange dog to show   
  
you're  
  
not a threat. 


	2. Joxer of the Jungle 2

Xena watched as he friend offered her hand. The wild man took it, and   
  
pulled  
  
it to him. The former child of the streets had spent so much time with  
  
proper English gentlemen that she expected him to kiss it, and was   
  
startled  
  
when he sniffed it instead. Then he ran his fingers tenderly over the   
  
palm,  
  
and Gabrielle giggled.  
  
She smelled - different. Like the first of the warm season, when the   
  
bright  
  
flowers were blooming. And her hand was so small - and soft. He ran   
  
his  
  
finger over it, and she made a beautiful sound that reminded him of   
  
birds  
  
trilling in the woods. Yet it was like his - not as calloused as his,   
  
but he  
  
had always been teased by his fellows because he lacked the leathery   
  
hide  
  
they had on their palms. And she was without it also. He held his   
  
hand up,  
  
fingers spread, and after a moment, she pressed hers to his - her   
  
fingers  
  
barely reaching to his first knuckle. She smiled, shyly.  
  
An idea was forming in the artist's mind. This was obviously a man -   
  
he may  
  
not act human, but he clearly was. He seemed to speak some odd   
  
language. She  
  
pointed to her palm. "Hand." He tilted his head quizzically, and she   
  
took  
  
his large fingers in hers. Pointing, she said, "Hand." She repeated   
  
both  
  
actions, and this time, he mimicked after her.  
  
"Hand." His voice was deep, and seemed to surprise even him.  
  
She reached out and touched his flowing chestnut locks. "Hair." She   
  
took his  
  
hand and began to move it towards her, but he pulled away, and she   
  
waited,  
  
anxiously. Reaching out a finger, he curled a blonde tendril that had   
  
fallen  
  
into her face around it.  
  
"Hair?" He looked at her for approval, and she gave it, nodding and   
  
smiling  
  
widely.  
  
Then she laid her palm on her chest, and said, "Gabrielle."  
  
He repeated her actions, palm on his own chest, stating with   
  
confidence,  
  
"Gab-relle!" Xena guffawed and the artist scowled at her.  
  
"No, no, no." She shook her head, and his face fell. Thinking for a   
  
moment,  
  
she circled her palm over her face, then using both hands to indicate   
  
her  
  
entire body with a sweeping motion. Then she placed her hand on her   
  
chest  
  
again, and said, "Me, Gabrielle." Pointing to his chest, she   
  
said "You?"  
  
He pouted in concentration, then smiled a little. Placing his hand on   
  
his  
  
chest, he announced, "Joxer!" She repeated his name, and he nodded in  
  
confirmation. Then he turned and pointed to Xena, the question on his   
  
face  
  
that he had no words for yet.  
  
Walking over to her closest friend, Gabrielle pointed and   
  
explained, "Xena."  
  
Joxer followed her, repeating dutifully. Having another idea, the   
  
small girl  
  
pulled the taller one to her with one arm around her shoulders. "Xena  
  
friend." She released her bodyguard, looking at her for reaction   
  
rather then  
  
the wild man.  
  
She let out a small scream when Joxer pulled her to his chest in a   
  
crushing  
  
hug and announced with joy, "Gabrielle friend." She stiffened for an  
  
instant, and only Xena's uncontrolled mirth relaxed her. Still, the  
  
combination of her friend's laughter and the blood pounding in her   
  
ears as  
  
she realized just how strong, how *masculine* this place was where   
  
she had  
  
found herself, kept her from hearing Drake O'Malley's voice when he   
  
called,  
  
promising to save her. But no one in the area could help but hear the  
  
gunshot ring out.  
  
~**~  
  
Joxer turned around as he saw his baby sister, Raylan, fall from the   
  
tree.  
  
He turned and charged O'Malley, who was trying to get his gun to   
  
work. Joxer  
  
screamed in orangutan language at Drake. The dark-skinned man tried   
  
his  
  
best, but the gun was jammed. Joxer grabbed the firestick from him   
  
and broke  
  
it in two, throwing it to the ground. He knew that somehow the stick   
  
had  
  
caused Raylan to fall. He screamed again and then glared at Drake who  
  
suddenly felt terrified. The wild man's dark eyes swirled and shone,   
  
and  
  
spoke of great pain coming. Joxer then grabbed Drake and held him in   
  
a tight  
  
squeeze. Xena jumped in front of him. "Let him go."  
  
He stared at her, not comprehending. This creature had hurt his   
  
sister. He  
  
squeezed tighter.  
  
"Please let him go."  
  
He turned to see the woman he wanted to mate with, carrying his   
  
sister. She  
  
seemed to want something of him. He let go of Drake, who fell   
  
unconscious on  
  
the ground. He then walked up to Gabrielle and held out his hands.   
  
Xena made  
  
sure Drake was all right, then walked over to her friend and the   
  
jungle man.  
  
"Gabrielle, give me the young orangutan. I'll see if I can help her."  
  
Gabrielle started to hand Raylan over to Xena, but Joxer grabbed her   
  
from  
  
Gabrielle and growled at both of them, showing his teeth in a   
  
ferocious way.  
  
Gabrielle grabbed his shoulder. "No, wait. Xena can help." She   
  
pointed to  
  
her friend. "Help. Xena help."  
  
He stared at her, and then at his sister. Not knowing what to do, he   
  
loped  
  
away into the jungle.  
  
"Wait," cried Gabrielle, "please let us help."  
  
Xena put a hand on her friend. "He doesn't understand, Gabrielle. I'm  
  
sorry."  
  
Joxer ran into the jungle where he tumbled and fell, still managing   
  
to hold  
  
on to his sister. As he lay there, stunned by his fear and anger,   
  
Chula  
  
approached him. He looked up at her, tears in his eyes, something she   
  
noted  
  
that also made him different from the other animals.  
  
"Chula, I don't know what's wrong with Raylan. She seems so weak."  
  
Chula looked at Joxer's sister. "I saw this once when I was a young   
  
cub.  
  
This is like what happened to my mother. She was weak; she told me to   
  
leave,  
  
that she had to go somewhere and I couldn't come. I never saw her   
  
again."  
  
Joxer looked darkly at his friend. "No, I won't lose her. I'm going   
  
to go  
  
back, maybe those strange animals can save her."  
  
"Jox?"  
  
"Yeah, Chula?"  
  
"I think you *are* one of them. Good luck. I hope they can help her."  
  
With that, Chula went away.  
  
~**~  
  
Joxer came out of the jungle and laid his sister in front of Xena.   
  
Xena  
  
understood, and slowly began to examine the young orangutan. She was  
  
relieved to find only a small shoulder wound. The bullet had gone   
  
straight  
  
though. She dressed the wound, putting salve on it.  
  
She turned to her friend. '"She will have to stay here for a while.   
  
Do you  
  
think he'll stay?"  
  
Gabrielle looked at Joxer who was now crouched down staring at Xena  
  
intently. "I don't think a herd of elephants is going to move him."  
  
Xena smiled at him. "She'll be fine," she assured him.  
  
Joxer just stared at her. She turned to Gabrielle.  
  
"Gabrielle, tell him that she will be fine."  
  
The young woman nodded her head. Taking Joxer's hands she smiled at   
  
him.  
  
"Joxer... " She stopped - how was she going to tell him?  
  
"Fine. She fine." She jumped around to show him, but he still didn't  
  
understand. Suddenly, he heard Raylan cry, and he pushed Xena aside   
  
and bent  
  
down to his sister. She was frightened.  
  
"Joxie, I'm scared. I'm sorry I followed you. I just wanted to know   
  
what you  
  
and Keenan were doing."  
  
He stroked her and said in a gentle voice, "Don't be afraid, Raylan.   
  
You're  
  
going to be fine." He then turned and copied both women when they had   
  
smiled  
  
at him. This took Gabrielle by surprise. 'Oh, my God,' she thought to  
  
herself. 'He smiles just like Jett and Jace Mansfield.' As a matter   
  
of fact  
  
he looked a lot like them. He had to be Lord Malcolm Mansfield's long   
  
lost  
  
son.  
  
~**~  
  
The lost Mansfield baby had been her father's trump card in his   
  
effort to  
  
keep Gabrielle from making this trip. It seemed that Lord Malcolm had   
  
come  
  
here seeking cheap labor, and brought his family along. However, the  
  
youngest son had been a sickly child, and was suffering from one   
  
malady or  
  
another, keeping him and his mother in England longer than the rest   
  
of the  
  
family. During their trip to join the others, they both mysteriously  
  
disappeared, never to be seen again.  
  
Gabrielle was intimately acquainted with both the Mansfield story and   
  
Jett  
  
Mansfield, as he had asked her father for permission to court the   
  
young  
  
heiress not many months before. If this trip to Borneo hadn't already   
  
been  
  
one of her fondest dreams, the intrusion of Jett upon her fiercely  
  
independent life would have quickly made it so.  
  
It wasn't that he was all bad - not really. He was good looking,   
  
smart, and  
  
well connected, and in fact, one of London's most popular eligible   
  
young  
  
men. He even grudgingly admired Gabrielle's independence. He and his   
  
brother  
  
Jace were sought after for every possible social occasion, and they   
  
could  
  
pick and choose among the dances and parties the High Society   
  
offered. Jace,  
  
however - he was there at every gathering, he dressed in all the   
  
latest  
  
fashions, he danced beautifully; yet no woman ever seemed to capture   
  
his  
  
attention. Jett, on the other hand, appeared to notice every girl   
  
there, but  
  
only as playthings. He seemed to feel he was too good for the   
  
majority of  
  
the London Social crowd. While many young men had tried to court   
  
Gabrielle  
  
in order to win her fortune, she felt that the only value her father's  
  
estate held in Jett's eyes was the additional status it would confer.   
  
He had  
  
money enough of his own.  
  
No, the real problem with Jett was his attitude. He enjoyed,   
  
embraced, even  
  
coveted all the things that Gabrielle found most distasteful about her  
  
lifestyle. She hadn't felt truly alive until she had come to this lush  
  
isolated island, where she was free from the constraints of behaving   
  
as she  
  
knew she should. He lived for the petty backstabbing, empty   
  
trivialities and  
  
mindless etiquette that Society thrived upon - she loathed them.  
  
Jett had come to see her just before she left, in a vain attempt to   
  
talk her  
  
out of this trip. He brought up his long lost brother, about whom it  
  
appeared he seldom thought, and cared even less. He tried to impress   
  
upon  
  
her how inappropriate such a trip would be for a single woman   
  
traveling with  
  
another female. What would people *think*? His every argument only   
  
served to  
  
further buoy her resolve. Then he had pulled her close, in a bold   
  
move, one  
  
quite out of character for him. "Be careful, my love," he had   
  
whispered to  
  
her. "Return quickly, and consent to be my wife." She had pulled away,  
  
uncomfortable with his intimacy. But when this wild man - his   
  
brother? - had  
  
held her to his naked chest, her only discomfort had been with the  
  
uncontrollable response her own body had made. Being held by him felt   
  
like  
  
the most right, the most natural thing on earth, otherwise.  
  
The other strike that Jett Mansfield had against him was that Xena   
  
hated  
  
him - wildly, passionately, irrationally. It was obvious the feeling   
  
was  
  
mutual. And Gabrielle put a lot of stock in the instincts of her best  
  
friend. She and Jett would snipe at each other behind the artist's   
  
back  
  
until Gabrielle felt ready to scream, sometimes. But Xena seemed more   
  
than  
  
willing to accept and even encourage this jungle man. Xena's opinion   
  
was  
  
important.  
  
As her friend was going over this in her mind, Xena was watching the   
  
scene  
  
playing out with the small orangutan. The man was hovering over her,   
  
cooing  
  
and screeching quietly in what had to be her language. Soon after the   
  
little  
  
one had regained consciousness, he had called something into the   
  
trees, and  
  
a larger ape had appeared and began to approach. The man's tone and   
  
actions  
  
both indicated that he was sending the other away, perhaps on an   
  
errand. The  
  
one so sent appeared torn, motioning to the small ape as Joxer   
  
scolded him.  
  
Finally, he turned and disappeared into the dark jungle. Joxer then   
  
returned  
  
to the little one, speaking comforting sounds to her as she whimpered.  
  
O'Malley had come to during this period, although he was clearly   
  
keeping his  
  
distance from the strange man. Xena could see in the dark man's   
  
actions that  
  
he regretted harming the little ape - he had probably only intended a  
  
warning shot into the air. The guide sat on the far edge of the camp,  
  
fiddling absently with the two parts of the gun, attempting vainly to   
  
stick  
  
them back into one functioning whole. She marveled at the strength in   
  
this  
  
wiry man who came from the trees - while that gun hadn't been the   
  
very best  
  
weapon that could be found, it had been a fairly solid piece of   
  
equipment.  
  
That he had rendered it useless with his bare hands was testimony to   
  
both  
  
his strength and the power of his anger over the incident. Drake   
  
O'Malley  
  
was lucky to still be alive.  
  
She felt her best friend behind her. "He really cares about her,   
  
doesn't  
  
he?" Gabrielle murmured in wonder, watching the man and the small   
  
ape. Just  
  
then, two more orangutans burst from the trees, the larger one Xena   
  
had seen  
  
earlier, and another, the same size but built differently, probably a  
  
female. The female was chattering anxiously at the man, who chattered   
  
back  
  
defensively, as did the small female. The new ape gathered the little   
  
one in  
  
her arms, appearing to lecture both the other apes and the man all at   
  
the  
  
same time. Their heads hung in shame, and the little one squealed  
  
indignantly.  
  
"What are you *doing* here with these strange creatures, Joxer? You   
  
could  
  
have endangered Keenan by coming here, even though you didn't know   
  
Raylan  
  
was following you. You could have endangered our whole family! What   
  
if they  
  
followed you back to our home?"  
  
Joxer waved his arm at the two women, who stepped back instinctively.  
  
"*They* didn't hurt her, Momma. They helped her after that one -" he   
  
pointed  
  
with anger at O'Malley, who cringed, "hurt her with the stick that   
  
shoots  
  
fire." He saw Sheera pull back her lips and grimace angrily. "Don't   
  
worry,  
  
Momma. I broke the stick." She relaxed.  
  
Raylan, who was quickly recovering her strength once her fear had   
  
subsided,  
  
chimed in eagerly. "Look at them Momma! They have funny fur on just   
  
the top  
  
of their heads like Joxer does! And they're soft and smell pretty,   
  
too.  
  
Although they have different coats," she said, referring to the full   
  
body  
  
covering of the women's gowns.  
  
Keenan hung back, silent. Somehow he felt responsible for all this,   
  
and he  
  
didn't want his mother to reach that conclusion as well.  
  
Sheera looked for the first time at the creatures her son had found.  
  
Realization struck her - these were like he was. They were the same   
  
sort of  
  
animal as Joxer. This was why he had never mated - he had been   
  
looking for  
  
one of these creatures. She turned slowly and sadly to her   
  
eldest. "They are  
  
like you, aren't they? Is this where you think you belong?"  
  
Gabrielle watched in awed silence at the almost human interaction   
  
between  
  
the apes. "Do you think it's his family?" she whispered to Xena. Her   
  
friend  
  
nodded. The sadness in her heart that Lord Mansfield would never know   
  
his  
  
missing son was mixed with something else, a strange self-pity she   
  
didn't  
  
really recognize or acknowledge. Watching a while longer, though, she  
  
realized that the female didn't act towards him as a lover to a   
  
recalcitrant  
  
mate, but rather a parent to a wayward child. And he responded in   
  
kind -  
  
defensive, but not in the way of two equals. Her heart lifted when she  
  
whispered in realization, "She's his *mother*!" Then the little female  
  
chattered something, and the older female gazed at Gabrielle and   
  
Xena, and  
  
she could *see* the heartbreak in the ape's eyes.  
  
Gabrielle moved towards the group, hearing Xena strangle back a gasp.   
  
She  
  
laid her hand on Joxer's arm, and he looked down on her with soft   
  
eyes. She  
  
placed her hand on her chest, turning to look the female in the eyes.  
  
"Gabrielle." She put her hand gently on the man's chest. "Joxer."  
  
He nodded in understanding, pointing first to the male standing a bit  
  
outside the group. "Keenan." The young ape's eyes were wary. Then   
  
Joxer took  
  
the tiny female from his mother's arms and cradled her lovingly,   
  
stepping to  
  
Gabrielle's side. "Raylan." The young woman reached out a finger and   
  
Raylan  
  
grasped it, chattering in delight. She held out her hands, and the   
  
little  
  
one climbed into her embrace, and tears filled her eyes as the small   
  
ape  
  
wrapped her arms around her neck. Taking her arm, the man guided   
  
Gabrielle  
  
to the older female. He struggled for a human way to say the   
  
orangutan word  
  
for "Mother," but it wasn't possible, so finally, he   
  
offered, "Sheera." The  
  
tenderness in his eyes offered the interpretation, and Gabrielle   
  
offered the  
  
human word.  
  
"Mother?" she unwrapped Raylan from her neck, cradled her like a tiny   
  
baby  
  
and rocked her to illustrate.  
  
Joxer nodded eagerly. "Mother." The artist nodded solemnly and held   
  
Raylan  
  
out to Sheera, who took her with apparent gratitude.  
  
Sheera placed Raylan on her back, where the little one clung   
  
comfortably.  
  
Reaching out, she pulled her eldest son closer, touching his hair   
  
with love.  
  
"I always knew you'd leave some day, like the others. I just never   
  
knew  
  
you'd find another like you to go with. Be careful, son. They seem   
  
pleasant  
  
enough, but any animal that can create a firestick that can put holes   
  
in  
  
others is not a kind and gentle species." She touched Joxer's face,  
  
apparently trying to memorize it.  
  
He gazed at her lovingly. "I know, Momma. All species have the good   
  
and the  
  
bad in them. But she's special, Momma. I saw how Jett acted when he   
  
found  
  
Murlee, and I feel that way about her. I promise I'll come back and   
  
visit,  
  
when I can." He pulled away, and called to his brother. "Keenan!"  
  
The adolescent approached reluctantly, eyeing the humans with   
  
suspicion.  
  
"You're gonna stay with them aren't ya, Jox?" he asked, unhappily.  
  
Joxer ruffled his fur. "I think I need to, squirt. Now you're in   
  
charge of  
  
taking care of Momma and Raylan. Think you can do that?" he looked   
  
briefly  
  
at the bright white bandage on his little sister's shoulder. "And do a  
  
better job than I did?" he added, softly.  
  
The young male toed the dirt. "Ya did pretty good. I'll try." He   
  
turned and  
  
escaped into the trees.  
  
"I know where this is, I can come see Joxie. I won't let you go away."  
  
Raylan was bouncing on her mother's back, the wound almost forgotten.   
  
He  
  
plucked her up and looked at her sternly.  
  
"You will do what mother tells you to. We could have lost you today,   
  
and I  
  
would have never forgiven myself. Behave, little one." His expression  
  
softened. "I love you." He handed her back to his mother, who turned  
  
reluctantly and loped into the jungle. "Goodbye."  
  
They disappeared without answering.  
  
As he turned to face them, Xena realized that they had just assumed  
  
responsibility for this wild creature. He spoke no English, outside   
  
of a  
  
handful of words. He had never worn shoes, had a haircut, or even   
  
used a  
  
water closet. Yet he had sent his family away, put his trust in them,   
  
and  
  
now they were stuck with him. She rolled her eyes.  
  
"Look closely at him, Xena," Gabrielle said softly into her   
  
ear. "Doesn't he  
  
remind you of anyone?" The man saw Gabrielle smile at him, and he   
  
smiled  
  
back.  
  
"Oh, by the saints and angels," Xena gasped. "Jett! 'E looks like that  
  
bloody snob, Jett Mansfield!" If she had been the type of woman to   
  
pass out,  
  
Xena would have fainted dead away. She stared again at the jungle man.  
  
'Bloody 'ell,' she thought to herself, 'that's all I need.' The   
  
bodyguard  
  
shook her head and walked away.  
  
Drake was watching all of this. He feared the jungle man, but hated   
  
him  
  
more. That stupid creature left them without protection, and he   
  
seemed to  
  
have some hankering for Gabrielle. He stood up and approached the   
  
wild man.  
  
"You bloody savage! Look what you did." He held out the broken   
  
gun. "Now  
  
we've got no way to protect ourselves." He moved towards the artist.  
  
Joxer growled at Drake and pulled Gabrielle tightly to him, to show   
  
the dark  
  
man that she was his. Xena moved in to protect her friend.  
  
"No," whispered the young artist. "He's not hurting me." She then   
  
turned to  
  
Joxer. "Please let go."  
  
He held her tighter. Gabrielle cried out in pain. Suddenly, Joxer let   
  
go,  
  
realizing that he *had* hurt her. He reached out and gently pulled on   
  
her  
  
hair, beginning to groom her.  
  
"What is he doing?" asked Drake.  
  
"I think he's looking for bugs," replied Xena.  
  
"Bugs?" Gabrielle gasped, wide-eyed. "I don't have bugs! Although I   
  
*do*  
  
need a bath. That's a good idea. Drake, could you get me some water?"  
  
requested the blonde woman, squirming slightly under Joxer's   
  
fastidious  
  
attention. The guide seemed gruesomely fascinated by the idea of the   
  
monkey  
  
man searching the artist's hair for bugs, and wasn't paying   
  
attention. She  
  
cleared her throat, and mimicked washing. "Water?"  
  
Joxer stopped grooming Gabrielle. If he understood what he thought he   
  
did,  
  
she wanted to wash. She wanted water. He would take her there. He ran   
  
into  
  
the jungle.  
  
"Great, the bloody savage is gone," said O'Malley with satisfaction.  
  
Suddenly Gabrielle found herself being swept off the ground. She   
  
looked up  
  
to see that Joxer had her, and was hanging from a tree by a vine. He   
  
was  
  
smiling at her. The young artist was surprised to find she was not   
  
afraid.  
  
She held on to him as they swung though the air from vine to vine. 


	3. Joxer of The Jungle 3

He   
  
swung  
  
though the trees with the grace of a ballerina, and Gabrielle was   
  
extremely  
  
impressed. 'I bet he would make a great dancer.'  
  
Soon they stopped in a big tree. Joxer pointed down at the waterfall   
  
and  
  
river. "Water, " he said proudly.  
  
Gabrielle looked down. 'Well,' she thought, 'he's learned another   
  
word.'  
  
"Yes, water. That's water." She smiled at him.  
  
Joxer smiled back, and then suddenly pushed the woman off the branch.   
  
It was  
  
at least a fifty-foot drop, and Gabrielle screamed all the way down.   
  
Joxer  
  
dove in after her. As they both surfaced, he began to splash her.   
  
Gabrielle  
  
was boiling mad.  
  
"You stupid savage! " she screamed, "Look what you did!" She   
  
attempted to  
  
slap him and keep her head above water at the same time, almost   
  
failing in  
  
both efforts.  
  
Joxer was confused. His mate was angry with him. He didn't   
  
understand. What  
  
did he do? She wanted water, and he took her to water. Why was she   
  
yelling  
  
at him? Gabrielle said nothing more as she paddled towards the bank.  
  
Joxer watched her, still confused. Suddenly, he saw movement in the   
  
water.  
  
It was one of his worst enemies - a crocodile. And it was swimming   
  
towards  
  
his mate.  
  
Joxer swam powerfully towards his enemy. He had seen the crocodile   
  
kill many  
  
of his friends, and even one of his cousins. He remembered how Jace   
  
had come  
  
so close to being the crocodile's meal, but had narrowly escaped. The  
  
crocodile was now in front of Gabrielle. She screamed as the jaws   
  
nearly  
  
closed over her. Before she knew exactly what was happening, Joxer   
  
had the  
  
crocodile in his grasp. They both went under the water. Gabrielle   
  
crawled  
  
onto the bank and watched with horror as the fighting continued.  
  
Joxer came to the surface, only to be pulled back under by the   
  
crocodile.  
  
Monkeys and other jungle creatures in the trees were screeching and  
  
chattering, and to Gabrielle they sounded like they were cheering.   
  
Joxer  
  
came up again, this time clutching a very sharp stone in his hand. He   
  
began  
  
to stab the crocodile, using all his might to pierce the tough hide.   
  
The  
  
crocodile struggled to get away, but the jungle man held him tight.   
  
Soon it  
  
was over, and the crocodile was dead, but Joxer had been injured as   
  
well,  
  
and he slowly sank beneath the water. Gabrielle ripped off her heavy   
  
skirt  
  
and dove in, swimming out to him. She dove down and bought him back   
  
up,  
  
pulling him behind her to the bank, where she laid him down. She   
  
began to  
  
breathe into his mouth for him, alternating with pressing   
  
rhythmically on  
  
his chest, and suddenly he was coughing up water. He looked at her   
  
and she  
  
was smiling. He smiled back at her, then tried to stand up. She held   
  
him  
  
down.  
  
"No, lay still. You are hurt, understand? Hurt." She showed him the   
  
blood on  
  
his leg. He gently pushed her away and began to call out in his   
  
language.  
  
Suddenly three monkeys appeared. One went and stood by his   
  
head. "Joxer, my  
  
friend, you were great."  
  
He smiled grimly at his friend and pointed to his wound. "Meero, I   
  
need  
  
you and your brothers to get me the stuff that will help me."  
  
"We will, my friend, but right now you need to be protected." He   
  
called to  
  
the other monkeys. "We must build a shelter for our friend."  
  
Gabrielle watched as the monkeys made a shelter big enough for both   
  
Joxer  
  
and herself. She was overcome with wonder - this was amazing.  
  
"This will help to protect you, my friend," said Meero. "I can now   
  
get you  
  
the healing plant."  
  
Chula came over. She had seen the whole thing. "And I also will   
  
protect you  
  
and your mate, Joxer."  
  
Joxer smiled at her and gazed back at Gabrielle. The woman shrank   
  
away in  
  
fear, unwilling to leave him, but terrified by the big cat. He called   
  
for  
  
Chula, who came to him. He touched her and then took Gabrielle's hand   
  
and  
  
placed it on Chula. "Friend " he explained weakly. Gabrielle   
  
understood -  
  
this jaguar was the one he had spoken to earlier in their camp -   
  
Joxer's  
  
friend. To show she understood, she hesitantly petted Chula, who was  
  
surprised at first, but didn't really seen to mind.  
  
Joxer fell unconscious. Gabrielle went to the river carrying a piece   
  
torn  
  
from her skirt. She wet it, and went back to him and placed it on his   
  
head.  
  
~**~  
  
Drake had come out of the tent carrying his knife.  
  
"I'm warning you, Xena, if that damned savage hurts Gabrielle, I'll   
  
cut his  
  
bloody throat from ear to ear."  
  
It had to be late afternoon by now. Gabrielle had crawled into the   
  
shelter  
  
to check on Joxer, and exhaustion had overcome her. When she awoke,   
  
she  
  
found herself lying on his shoulder, his arm possessively wrapped   
  
around  
  
her. Her face flushed with embarrassment. She peered down and noticed   
  
that  
  
while they had slept, his leg wound had been treated and wrapped in   
  
some  
  
type of frond as a bandage. She silently thanked the monkeys she   
  
realized  
  
were responsible. Disengaging herself gently from the strong arm   
  
around her,  
  
she crawled quietly out of the lean-to and sat on the riverbank.   
  
Chula slunk  
  
over to sit beside her, and despite the fact that she knew the jaguar  
  
couldn't understand her, she began to talk to her.  
  
"How can I force him to go back to England? He'll never fit in. And   
  
he'd  
  
have to leave all his friends and his family here, for what? To be   
  
forced  
  
into an uncomfortable suit to sit at a big table full of people who   
  
will  
  
view him as a novelty and talk about him like he isn't even there? I   
  
hate  
  
that life, and I was born to it. I can't imagine how he'd feel.   
  
Still, he  
  
does have real family there, blood relatives. Brothers. A father. They  
  
deserve to see him, and to know he's alive." She looked at the big   
  
cat,  
  
whose soft eyes seemed to hold understanding. "And - I like him. I   
  
really  
  
don't want to go back without him." She looked down at herself. Her   
  
formerly  
  
crisp white pantaloons were muddy and limp. Her blouse was missing   
  
several  
  
buttons and one entire sleeve. She couldn't remember the last time   
  
she'd  
  
seen her gloves, and her dainty kid boots and lisle stockings had   
  
long since  
  
been abandoned. Sighing she took off the blouse, since it wasn't   
  
covering  
  
her undergarments well anymore, anyway. Her pin-tucked camisole was   
  
still  
  
nearly white, at least. "I'd never survive here. All he did was bring   
  
me to  
  
take a bath, like I wanted, and I almost got us both killed." Without  
  
thinking, the woman had begun stroking the jaguar's head, and Chula   
  
quite  
  
liked it.  
  
A snort from the lean-to startled them both, and Gabrielle pulled her   
  
hand  
  
back into her lap. "See, you like her, too," Joxer growled to his best  
  
friend.  
  
"There *is* something about her," the jaguar admitted. The injured man  
  
crawled over to sit beside them, favoring his bandaged leg. He smiled   
  
at the  
  
woman, and took her hand, placing it on the jaguar again.  
  
"Chula," he explained. Gabrielle nodded. "Chula friend," he assured   
  
her  
  
again.  
  
"I know," she responded seriously. She touched the bandage on his leg.  
  
"Hurt?"  
  
He sort of shrugged. "Hurt." It was far from the first time he'd been  
  
injured, out here, she supposed. Another word. She couldn't believe   
  
that she  
  
was considering a relationship with a man who she couldn't even speak   
  
to in  
  
entire sentences. Perhaps her father had been correct when she had   
  
first  
  
expressed her desire to come to the jungles of Borneo. She was daft.  
  
~**~  
  
Xena convinced O'Malley that, as vast as the rain forest was, they   
  
would be  
  
more likely to find Gabrielle if they split up. She really didn't   
  
relish  
  
searching for her friend with the guide, who was barely suppressing a  
  
murderous rage. She only hoped that she found the couple before Drake   
  
did,  
  
or someone might end up dead. It was almost ironic that the jungle   
  
man, who  
  
O'Malley kept referring to as "that savage", seemed far more   
  
civilized at  
  
this moment to her than the dark man with the careful manners.  
  
They had made away through the treetops, so there was no trail to   
  
follow.  
  
But Gabrielle had mentioned 'water' before her unexpected   
  
disappearance, so  
  
Xena headed toward the mighty river she knew to be nearby. She had   
  
purposely  
  
sent O'Malley the other direction, deeper into the jungle. The   
  
riverbank was  
  
overgrown in many parts, so once she reached the water, she found   
  
herself  
  
having to weave back and forth to make her way along it. But it felt   
  
good  
  
to be doing something with purpose to it, and she focused all her   
  
senses on  
  
her task. A familiar voice drifted over the thick foliage, and she   
  
knew she  
  
was close to her goal.  
  
~**~  
  
Gabrielle was kneeling on the bank, smoothing the wet soil. She had   
  
been  
  
anxious, and when she felt like that, drawing was her release. She'd   
  
found a  
  
stick that was the right length and thickness, and in an even spot,   
  
she had  
  
begun to sketch the jaguar in the sand. Joxer had leaned over her   
  
shoulder,  
  
his weight on her and proximity to her a slight distraction, but she   
  
was  
  
focused on her work. When she finished, she looked to him, eyes   
  
shining. His  
  
expression of wonder was sufficient reward. "Chula?"  
  
"Chula." she agreed. "Jaguar." He rolled the new word around on his   
  
tongue,  
  
seeming to enjoy it. But when she smoothed the picture away, he   
  
whimpered in  
  
disappointment. She set right back to work, though, and soon his   
  
expression  
  
changed to one of joy, as Chula, sitting beside him, recognized the   
  
figure  
  
first and told him what she was drawing.  
  
"Joxer?" His eager tone made the artist giggle. She finished up in a   
  
few  
  
quick strokes - a good likeness, if she could say so herself.  
  
"Joxer," she said with satisfaction. Her knees protested as she rose,   
  
stiff  
  
from the length of time she'd been squatting down. She dusted the   
  
sand off  
  
her hands onto her pantaloons, and looked up to find her nose almost  
  
touching the muscular chest of the jungle man. He grabbed her arms as   
  
she  
  
tried to back away, keeping her there.  
  
He didn't know how to say it in her words. He liked what she had   
  
done. She  
  
was his mate, he was certain of that. She had rescued him when he was  
  
injured - stayed with him while he was healing. Now she had made   
  
something  
  
that looked like him in the sand. She was his. But he always assumed   
  
that he  
  
would know what to do when his mate showed up, and he didn't. He held   
  
her in  
  
front of him and stared into her eyes with confusion. Perhaps the   
  
female was  
  
supposed to know what to do.  
  
Gabrielle was aware of the possessiveness in his gesture, and began to  
  
babble nervously. "I can do better with pen and paper. I have   
  
watercolours  
  
back at the camp. Maybe I can show you some of my other work..." Her   
  
brain  
  
was so addled that she didn't see Chula's ears rise, or hear the   
  
slight  
  
rustling in the brush. Joxer did, however, and managed to shove her   
  
behind  
  
him just before Xena burst from the undergrowth. He bared his teeth   
  
and  
  
growled, the big cat at his side doing the same. They stood frozen   
  
like that  
  
for a minute, before the bodyguard raised her hands in a gesture of  
  
surrender. "Xena," Gabrielle breathed in relief, although a pang of  
  
disappointment rose in her as well.  
  
Joxer relaxed, and crouched down in spite of the pain in his leg,   
  
placing a  
  
big hand on Chula's head. "Xena, friend," he explained to the jaguar.  
  
The tall woman was nearly speechless, pointing at the big   
  
cat. "Friend?" she  
  
squeaked.  
  
Gabrielle stepped out from behind the ape-man, bedraggled and once   
  
again  
  
weary. "Friend," she nodded tiredly.  
  
Xena stared at the woman standing by the jungle man and the   
  
jaguar. "His  
  
*friend* - why am I not surprised?" She came up to them and noticed  
  
Gabrielle's condition. "Gabrielle, are you okay? Did he hurt you?"  
  
"No, Xena, he saved my life."  
  
Xena nodded her head. "We'd better get back. See if jungle boy will   
  
come."  
  
Gabrielle smiled at the memory of his possessive actions. "I don't   
  
have to -  
  
I'm pretty sure he'll follow me. "  
  
They headed for the camp, and sure enough, Joxer followed. They moved   
  
slowly  
  
so as not to strain his wound. As soon as they arrived at the camp,   
  
O'Malley  
  
came charging at Joxer.  
  
"You heathen monster! If you harmed Gabrielle, I'll kill you!"  
  
Joxer did not understand the dark skinned man's words but he   
  
understood the  
  
actions that accompanied them. He ran towards O'Malley, but his   
  
injured leg  
  
gave out, and he fell to the ground. Xena charged over and sent a   
  
kick right  
  
into Drake O'Malley's face, knocking him on his back.  
  
Gabrielle ran over to Joxer to help, but Joxer was already on his   
  
feet. He  
  
knew that the males did the protecting. He stood as tall as he could   
  
and  
  
walked over to O'Malley. He picked the man up by the front of his   
  
shirt and  
  
glared into his eyes.  
  
O'Malley stared into the deep brown orbs of the jungle man. Those   
  
eyes were  
  
penetrating his very soul. They were boring into him. He tried to   
  
look away  
  
but he could not. It was just like being hypnotized, only more   
  
unnerving.  
  
Drake began to whimper like a frightened child.  
  
Xena and Gabrielle stared. Joxer was doing nothing, and yet O'Malley   
  
was  
  
petrified. Gabrielle went over to him. "Please let him go, Joxer."  
  
Joxer turned and stared at her. His eyes still held the glare, which  
  
frightened her, and she pulled away and sat down on the ground, her   
  
face in  
  
her hands. Joxer knew that his eyes had frightened his mate and he   
  
made  
  
himself calm down, releasing O'Malley, who crawled away from him.  
  
Xena stood over Drake. "Get your stuff and get out of here. Your   
  
services  
  
are no longer required."  
  
Drake got up and stared angrily at them, but mostly at Joxer.  
  
"You are going to be so sorry, savage, that I promise." And with that   
  
he  
  
gathered up his belongings and was gone.  
  
Joxer slowly went over to Gabrielle, who was still sitting on the   
  
ground. He  
  
touched her face with his hand.  
  
"Gab... Gab... "  
  
Gabrielle looked up as he was trying to say her name. He had managed   
  
it with  
  
some difficulty the first time, and she had blamed it on the newness   
  
of  
  
human communication, but now he seemed stuck.  
  
"Yes, Gabrielle. Gab..ri..elle."  
  
He tried again but could not get it out. He turned away sadly.  
  
Gabrielle had an idea - she hated to be called this, but it might be   
  
easier  
  
for him. She tugged on his arm.  
  
"Gabby, Gab-by," she said slowly.  
  
He slowly repeated the name "Gab-by."  
  
"Yes, that's right - Gabby." She smiled at him.  
  
"Gabby, Gabby, Gabby," he cried happily.  
  
Xena watched the exchange. "Well, Gabrielle, looks like you're going   
  
to be  
  
called Gabby, whether you like it or not."  
  
The artist smiled at her friend. "He can call me that, but no one   
  
else."  
  
Xena and Gabrielle began to laugh. Joxer stared at them - what were   
  
they  
  
doing? Gabrielle approached him, noticing his confusion. She began to   
  
tickle  
  
him suddenly. Joxer found himself making that noise, too, and he had   
  
trouble  
  
catching his breath. When Gabrielle stopped tickling him, he stopped   
  
making  
  
that sound. She grinned playfully at him. "Laughing," she explained.  
  
He looked at her. "Laughing," he copied.  
  
She was about to go on, when they heard a sound in the jungle. Sheera   
  
was  
  
slowly coming out of the brush, clutching something tightly. She   
  
cautiously  
  
walked over to Joxer and placed the object in his hand.  
  
"This was with you when I found you so many seasons ago." She patted   
  
him  
  
affectionately, then returned to the jungle. Joxer stared at it and   
  
gave it  
  
to Gabrielle. It was a golden locket. Gabrielle opened it up, and it   
  
had a  
  
picture of the infant Mansfield triplets, Jett, Jace, and Joxer, on   
  
one  
  
side, and a picture of Lord and Lady Mansfield on the other.  
  
"This is your real family," she told him, breathlessly. She took his   
  
hand  
  
and pointed to the woman in the picture and then at him. "Mother,"   
  
she told  
  
him.  
  
He looked at the picture and back at her, then pointed to the place   
  
that  
  
Sheera had disappeared. "Mother."  
  
"No," she explained patiently, pointing again to the woman in the   
  
locket.  
  
"Mother." He looked doubtful, but nodded and repeated obediently.  
  
She nodded her head. Then she pointed at the man. "Father," she said.  
  
He touched the picture himself, "Father."  
  
"Yes, father."  
  
He smiled and curled the fingers of Gabrielle's hand around the   
  
locket. She  
  
hesitated for a moment, and then fastened it around her neck. Xena   
  
came up  
  
behind them. "Gabrielle, we have to leave tomorrow."  
  
She looked at her friend. "What about Joxer?"  
  
"I guess he'll be coming with us. Gabrielle, we're not safe here   
  
anymore.  
  
Who knows what Drake might do? It's time to go home."  
  
Gabrielle nodded her head. Was he ready for this? She knew deep down   
  
inside  
  
herself that his father would be glad to see him. But she wasn't that   
  
sure  
  
anyone else would. She just hoped she was doing the right thing.  
  
~**~  
  
At the home of Lord Malcolm Mansfield in London, England, two   
  
identical men  
  
were talking together.  
  
"Gabrielle is coming home day after tomorrow. I bet she missed me,"  
  
proclaimed Jett cockily.  
  
"Yeah, like she would miss a hole in the head. Come on, Jett, she   
  
doesn't  
  
love you."  
  
Jett poured a drink for himself and his brother. "Maybe not, but I   
  
never  
  
said I loved her, either. She's one of the few single women around   
  
worthy of  
  
my time. She's not difficult to look at, and her family is more than  
  
socially acceptable. It would be the perfect match. Besides, with her   
  
money  
  
and mine, I'll be well set for life."  
  
Jace nodded his head. "Yeah, if only we get the whole thing. But   
  
father has  
  
split his will *three* ways, for you, me, and Joxer."  
  
Jett threw his drink on the floor. "Why can't that old man realize   
  
that  
  
Joxer is dead?"  
  
"Because until a body is bought to me, your brother is still alive.   
  
The men  
  
I sent found your mother's remains, but never his. I know he's alive.   
  
I feel  
  
it in my heart," stated their father forcefully as he walked into the   
  
room.  
  
Jett turned on his father. "When are you going to wake up old man?   
  
He's  
  
dead - he's been dead for twenty-two years. "  
  
~**~  
  
It had not been the easiest of things for Xena to arrange their   
  
passage out  
  
of Borneo, but a merchant ship bound for the tip of Italy had room,   
  
and the  
  
promise of a large sum of money, with a hefty upfront payment,   
  
convinced the  
  
captain to make accommodations for three travelers. Once he spotted   
  
the  
  
ape-man, he nearly reneged anyway. But the two women were persuasive,   
  
and  
  
passage was booked.  
  
Once aboard the vessel, there was plenty of time to prepare Joxer for   
  
his  
  
English debut. He was a fast learner, and soon had a proficient grasp   
  
on the  
  
English language, although occasional slips in his wording indicated   
  
that he  
  
still often thought in orangutan. The sailors were charmed by the   
  
young  
  
artist, cool towards the Amazonian bodyguard, and terrified by the   
  
wild man  
  
who would on occasion go swinging through the rigging, so the trio was  
  
usually left alone. The women had managed to round up clothing for   
  
Joxer to  
  
wear, and although he hated it, he eventually grew accustomed to the   
  
long  
  
pants, suspenders, stiff collared shirt and waistcoat. It took them   
  
weeks to  
  
convince him he couldn't remove the cravat the minute he was out of   
  
their  
  
eyesight, though, and a decent frock coat was unavailable. They were  
  
fortunate to find one sailor whose shoulders were as broad as their  
  
friend's, from whom they obtained the shirt, but he was much too wide   
  
in the  
  
rest of his body for his coat to fit Joxer properly. The shoes caused   
  
him no  
  
end of misery. Xena had been of the opinion that they should cut his   
  
hair,  
  
but Gabrielle felt that the mane was far to glorious to remove, so   
  
they  
  
settled for tying it back in a neat ponytail.  
  
Etiquette and manners were proving to be a bit more difficult for the   
  
young  
  
man to grasp, since neither of the women could adequately explain the  
  
reasons for many of the customs of the day. He finally was able to   
  
master  
  
the use of silverware, and even to unerringly choose the right fork.   
  
He  
  
still occasionally picked up the soup bowl, but a stern glance from   
  
his  
  
blonde beloved was enough to remonstrate him, and he would remember   
  
the  
  
spoon. He learned a proper bow, and he finally would kiss Gabrielle's   
  
hand  
  
rather than sniff it.  
  
In fact, the biggest problem they were facing was his relationship   
  
with  
  
Gabrielle. Once the word was a part of his ever-expanding vocabulary,   
  
he  
  
took to calling her his 'mate,' which brought color to her cheeks   
  
every  
  
time. It did, however, explain why it had been so difficult, their   
  
first few  
  
nights on board, to get him to stay in his own cabin, rather than the   
  
one  
  
Xena and the artist occupied. Both women attempted to find a better   
  
term,  
  
but he was stubborn about her title. Finally, they managed to   
  
convince him  
  
that the English word 'betrothed' had the same meaning, and only   
  
privately  
  
did Gabrielle voice concerns about how her father and Jett were going   
  
to  
  
deal with this. And even more privately she allowed her heart to   
  
flutter at  
  
the implications.  
  
They also struggled with how much of Joxer's true history Lord   
  
Mansfield and  
  
the family should be privy to. Somehow, both women realized that the   
  
idea  
  
that apes had raised him would probably not make him terribly welcome   
  
in  
  
British Society, let alone a proper betrothed for Lord Taylor's only  
  
daughter. Gabrielle found it quite charming that his simplicity made   
  
the  
  
idea of lying nearly incomprehensible to him. They were on the train,   
  
nearly  
  
to the English Channel, before she felt comfortable that he   
  
understood both  
  
the untruth and the need to tell it. A message had been sent on ahead,  
  
detailing their expected arrival, only explaining that Lord Mansfield   
  
should  
  
be at the station with Gabrielle's father, since there would be a   
  
surprise  
  
for him.  
  
The short ride across the Channel was spent refreshing him on the   
  
family  
  
relationships, manners and the ever-important fiction of his youth   
  
having  
  
been spent with gentle natives. Technically, that was the truth -   
  
only in  
  
this version, the natives were human. He still pouted when pressed to   
  
lie,  
  
but Gabrielle found that ever so appealing.  
  
As the final leg of the long journey home drew near its end, the   
  
artist  
  
fidgeted and fussed. Her feelings for this strange man made the   
  
importance  
  
of everything going well at his presentation doubly important to her.   
  
Noting  
  
her distress Joxer reached out and took her hand in his, caressing it  
  
gently. She smiled up at him, and he spoke comfortingly to her. "I   
  
promise,  
  
I'll do my best not to shame you. I know I'm not smart enough to   
  
impress  
  
your friends, but I hope you'll still be my mate," he frowned and   
  
corrected  
  
himself, "my *betrothed*, after they see me."  
  
She squeezed his hand. "You are *very* smart. I know you'll do fine.   
  
And we  
  
probably need to talk more about betrothal after you've had a chance   
  
to  
  
settle in." He appeared every inch the English gentleman, but she   
  
could  
  
sense the wild animal just beneath the fine surface, and it drew a   
  
small  
  
shiver from her. She touched the locket that hid under her blouse,   
  
reminding  
  
her of why they were there. The train screeched to a stop, and the   
  
familiar  
  
smells and sounds of London drifted through the open window of the   
  
car.  
  
Gabrielle stood and pulled him up with her, tapping Xena on the   
  
shoulder.  
  
"Here goes nothing," she announced, to no one in particular. They had  
  
managed to obtain Joxer a decent frock coat in France, and Gabrielle   
  
dusted  
  
it off, adjusting it on the man's shoulders. Taking his arm, she   
  
followed  
  
Xena to the door.  
  
She spotted Lord Taylor first, and at the sight of her father,   
  
realized how  
  
much she had missed him. The men moved together towards her on the   
  
platform,  
  
and were there as she stepped down. After a tender hug and kiss from   
  
her  
  
father, she turned to the other men present. "Lord Mansfield, Father,   
  
Jett,  
  
Jace - this is my betrothed." She took the jungle man's arm. "Your   
  
brother  
  
and son, Joxer Mansfield." Her own father gasped, while Lord Malcolm  
  
clutched his chest, and Jett scowled in anger. Jace fainted dead away.  
  
Joxer stared as he watched the elderly man crumple to the ground,   
  
holding  
  
his heart. Xena and Jett went to him at the same time. Jett glared at   
  
her.  
  
"Stay away. We don't need your help." He turned to Jace, who was   
  
slowly  
  
waking up. "Help me with father. Now."  
  
As he struggled to his feet, Jace stared at the other man, the   
  
stranger who  
  
looked like him. "Joxer?"  
  
Joxer stared back. He was watching the scene before him. He came   
  
forward and  
  
bent down to check the fallen man, but Jett angrily pushed him   
  
away. "I  
  
don't know who you are, but you'd better leave my father alone."  
  
Joxer stared at the man on the ground. He knew this man from the   
  
picture his  
  
betrothed had shown him. He touched the man's face. "Father?"  
  
Jett stood up, his hand clenched into a fist. He punched Joxer in the   
  
face.  
  
Jett was a master at boxing, and he knew all of the moves. This was   
  
new to  
  
Joxer and he was too stunned to move out of the way.  
  
Jett kept punching him mercilessly. Joxer's face was now bleeding,   
  
the blood  
  
coming from his nose onto his clothing.  
  
"Stop it!" screamed Gabrielle. "Jett, leave him alone! He's your   
  
brother."  
  
Xena grabbed Jett forcefully, who finally let go of Joxer, dropping   
  
him to  
  
the ground.  
  
"Your father needs you take him home and call a doctor," the bodyguard  
  
growled. "Don't cause him more heart trouble by beating to death the   
  
son  
  
he's spent all these years waiting for."  
  
Jett looked down at Joxer, and then turned to check on his father.   
  
Jace had  
  
already helped the old man into the coach. The elder Mansfield looked   
  
up at  
  
Jett. "Jett, I saw my son, Joxer. Please, did I really see him?"  
  
Jett shook his head in disgust. "No father, it was a cruel joke."  
  
Lord Mansfield hung his head. Tears ran down his face. He had so   
  
hoped it  
  
was true.  
  
Jett stared at Jace. "Get in now, Jace."  
  
Jace stared over at Gabrielle and Joxer. "No. I want to see if he's   
  
all  
  
right."  
  
Jett knocked Jace up against the train station blackboard. "Don't you   
  
dare  
  
defy me! Now you get in that coach, and take father home."  
  
Jace hung his head, but climbed in. "I am sorry," he said sadly,   
  
looking at  
  
Joxer and the women, and then he had their driver take him and his   
  
father  
  
home.  
  
Jett turned to the artist. "You may come to the house when you get   
  
rid of  
  
him. Think about it, Gabrielle - you and I are meant to be married."  
  
Gabrielle leapt up and began hitting Jett on the chest. "I hate you!   
  
You  
  
bastard! I will never marry you!"  
  
Jett grabbed her wrists and held them tight, anger on his handsome   
  
face. "I  
  
don't have time for your childish games." Then he knocked her to the   
  
ground.  
  
Xena started forward to help her friend when Joxer stopped her.  
  
"No. I will do this."  
  
He stood tall with his hands clenched into fists, the way he saw Jett   
  
do it.  
  
He threw a punch, but Jett ducked it and returned the punch. But Joxer  
  
learned quickly and also ducked. He even got a blow in himself that   
  
sent  
  
Jett to the ground. Jett slowly got up and wiped the blood from his   
  
mouth.  
  
He knew that he would be no match for this muscular man right now. He   
  
was  
  
angry, and anger was a distraction. "I don't have time for this. But   
  
we will  
  
meet again." He then hailed a hack, climbed inside and left.  
  
Xena came up to Gabrielle; there were tears in the blonde artist's   
  
eyes. "Oh  
  
Xena, that was a disaster! Nothing went the way I thought it would. I  
  
messed up everything "  
  
Gabrielle sobbed on Xena's shoulder. Joxer came over and touched her   
  
arm.  
  
"Please don't cry, Gabby. I'm sorry I disappointed you. Please,   
  
Gabby, don't  
  
cry."  
  
Gabrielle reached for his face and pulling a handkerchief from her   
  
sleeve,  
  
wiped first her own face, then the blood from his nose. "No, Joxer you  
  
didn't disappoint me. Come on, let's take care of that nose."  
  
Lord Taylor had been quiet though all of this. "Gabrielle, what is   
  
going on  
  
here? Who is that man?"  
  
"Father, I told you, he's Joxer Mansfield. He was raised in Borneo   
  
by -  
  
natives." She removed something from around her neck, and handed him   
  
the  
  
locket. He opened it up and stared at it.  
  
"Lord save us. It *is* Joxer Mansfield." 


	4. Joxer of the Jungle 4

Jace studied the old man's pale face. "Father?" he said, cautiously.  
  
"Yes, son." Lord Malcolm was still dealing with having his dream come   
  
true  
  
and having it shattered all in one swift moment.  
  
"I think Jett's wrong. I think that *was* Joxer. I think my brother so  
  
wanted him dead, he can't accept that he might not be." The middle   
  
triplet  
  
sighed. He didn't want to build his father's hopes, only to shatter   
  
them  
  
again, but he had to talk to someone about it. "And have you ever   
  
known  
  
Gabrielle Taylor to do something deliberately cruel? I've known her   
  
since  
  
childhood - she doesn't have it in her."  
  
The elder Mansfield looked thoughtful. "No, she's not that sort.   
  
Still, I  
  
only got a brief glimpse of the boy - he could be fooling her, as   
  
well."  
  
"I saw him, father. It was like looking in a mirror. I do think it's   
  
him."  
  
Lord Mansfield looked tired. "Perhaps it is, son. I guess we'll have   
  
to wait  
  
and see."  
  
~**~  
  
The servants were thrilled to see Gabrielle and Xena again, and were  
  
politely welcoming to Joxer, who was totally taken aback by the   
  
number of  
  
people who seemed to be present just to fawn over the two women. The   
  
young  
  
man's meager belongings were settled into the guest quarters, and   
  
Gabrielle  
  
went to lay down for a bit. Lord Taylor took Joxer into his study, and  
  
offered him a cigar and brandy. The former ape-man was totally   
  
confused by  
  
the cigar, declining as gently as he knew how, but couldn't see any   
  
harm in  
  
the glass of amber liquid. That was, until it burned his throat all   
  
the way  
  
down, causing him to cough and choke. Lord Taylor slapped him on the   
  
back,  
  
laughing. "I forgot, Gabrielle explained you were raised by savages. I  
  
suppose they didn't have 'fire-water' there?" Joxer shook his head,  
  
understanding the meaning of the term easily. He wiped the tears from   
  
his  
  
eyes. The older man looked critically at the bloodstained   
  
shirt. "Shouldn't  
  
you change that, old chap?"  
  
Ashamed at his appearance, after Gabrielle had worked so hard to help   
  
him  
  
look right for this, Joxer simply hung his head. Xena, who had been   
  
outside  
  
the door and alerted earlier by the young man's loud reaction to the   
  
brandy,  
  
stepped into the room. "He hasn't much in the way of clothes, sir. The  
  
'savages', as you put it, didn't have a lot of tailors in the bush."  
  
Gabrielle, too, had approached quietly during this.  
  
"I was hoping to get your permission to take him to your tailor   
  
tomorrow and  
  
order him a few things, Poppa."  
  
Lord Taylor smiled indulgently at his daughter. Ever since her mother   
  
had  
  
died in childbirth, his whole life had been wrapped up in this girl.   
  
He had  
  
seen, from the time of their appearance at the station that there was  
  
something special between her and the newly discovered Mansfield boy.   
  
And  
  
while Jett had troubled him, this one seemed different - very   
  
different. "Of  
  
course, dear. Have Harrington make him up a few suits, and don't   
  
forget a  
  
tuxedo. And as for this ruined shirt of his," the man's face creased   
  
in  
  
thought, "I'm not as broad-shouldered as this strapping young fellow,   
  
but,"  
  
he patted his well-rounded girth, "I *am* broad, and one of my shirts   
  
might  
  
do for him in a pinch. Hazel!" he called into the hall, and a middle-  
  
aged  
  
woman in a maid's uniform appeared from thin air. "See if you can   
  
find a  
  
shirt of mine to fit young Joxer here in my closet." The maid   
  
scurried off.  
  
"I suppose the betrothed couple might like a bit of time to talk   
  
before  
  
supper, especially after all the day's excitement." The nobleman   
  
winked at  
  
the tall bodyguard. "Why don't you come tell me about your trip,   
  
Xena, while  
  
they take a walk in the garden?"  
  
Gabrielle didn't have to be told twice, and firmly grasping Joxer's   
  
arm, led  
  
him outside. They walked arm-in-arm for a while, until they reached   
  
the  
  
secluded gazebo she considered her place of refuge in life. It was   
  
where she  
  
went when she wanted to be alone, or when things were troubling her.   
  
This  
  
had been the place she'd first sketched the flowers and plants, and  
  
discovered her life's true calling. She sat on the bench, and patted   
  
the  
  
spot beside her. "Joxer, we need to talk." He sat close beside her,   
  
much  
  
closer than proper Victorian mores would consider suitable. A tiny bit  
  
uncomfortable, Gabrielle swallowed hard and began. "What   
  
does 'betrothed'  
  
mean to you, Joxer?"  
  
"You told me it was a better word for 'mate'," he answered simply.  
  
"And what does 'mate' mean?"  
  
"Two, together. A male and a female. Then, little ones. When my   
  
cousin Jett  
  
mated - " He stopped, unable to understand Gabby's squeal of surprise.  
  
"You have a cousin named *Jett*?" she asked, wide-eyed. He   
  
nodded. "And he's  
  
an - orangutan, like the rest of your family there, right?" He nodded   
  
again,  
  
still not understanding her reaction. "Oh, that is so *perfect*," she   
  
gasped  
  
around her laughter. At his mystified expression, she pulled herself  
  
together. "You'll understand better when you get to know your   
  
brother," she  
  
explained. "Go on."  
  
"Jett noticed Murlee, like I noticed you. He gave her his mating cry -  
  
like  
  
I did. And she came to him, like you came to me. Not too much longer,   
  
there  
  
was Gamat, the baby." He smiled at the memory of his cousin's oldest   
  
son. "A  
  
few seasons later, there was Meeloo." He shrugged. "They mated. They   
  
had a  
  
family. Some of my other cousins joined with them, and they had a   
  
family  
  
group." His eyes lit up. "Are you worried about Xena? When she finds   
  
a  
  
mate, she can be part of our family group. Even before she finds one,   
  
she  
  
can."  
  
"No, no," Gabrielle protested. "What you're describing is   
  
called 'marriage'  
  
here. A man, like you, and a woman, like me, promise before god and   
  
the  
  
priest and some of their friends that they will stay together   
  
forever. Then,  
  
after that, they can have babies." She wondered how many of the   
  
details to  
  
share with him. She knew a lot more than most unmarried girls her age   
  
in  
  
this day. It was one of the interesting benefits of having a former   
  
street  
  
child as her best friend. Xena had seen all the parts of life on the   
  
seamy  
  
side of London, and shared them with the artist years ago. As a   
  
result,  
  
Gabrielle knew that she would not come away from her wedding night in   
  
dull  
  
shock, as so many of the girls she had grown up with had. His troubled  
  
expression drew her concern, however.  
  
You told me it was 'betrothed'." He frowned at the inconsistency.  
  
"That's because 'betrothed' is what happens before people get   
  
married. And  
  
since you and I haven't made the promise yet, we aren't married." She   
  
took  
  
his hands in hers. "It means we promise each other that we plan to get  
  
married."  
  
"We can make the married promise now. Then we can have babies." He   
  
smiled;  
  
the solution seemed so simple.  
  
She sighed. "It's not that easy." His face fell. "The promise is made   
  
at a  
  
ceremony called a 'wedding'. It takes a while to put one together,   
  
and it's  
  
very important." She grew shy, and turned away. "I'd like to have a   
  
wedding  
  
with you, Joxer. But it means waiting for those babies, and other   
  
things,  
  
too." She blushed - only with this man would she even be having such   
  
an  
  
intimate conversation.  
  
He could tell this troubled her, and he wasn't sure what to do. She'd  
  
explained that while his grooming her hair was a nice thing, it   
  
wasn't an  
  
appropriate gesture of affection in English society. Yet she hadn't  
  
explained what he should do instead. He remembered her greeting with   
  
her  
  
father, and what Xena had done when Gabby had been upset. He put his   
  
arms  
  
around her, and she turned, resting her head on his chest. Her arms   
  
wrapped  
  
around his waist, and they just sat there like that for a few   
  
minutes. Then  
  
Gabby reached up and touched his face, and she moved her lips to   
  
touch his.  
  
Uncertain what this meant, he sat still for a moment, but her mouth   
  
moved  
  
slightly, and he moved his to accommodate hers. This movement was   
  
pleasant,  
  
and he moved some more. Suddenly, she pulled away, her breath coming   
  
in deep  
  
gulps, as if she'd been running. He noticed his heart felt the same   
  
way. He  
  
pulled her closer again. "Joxer will wait for babies. Whatever it   
  
takes to  
  
make Gabby my mate. We will be - betrothed." He could just see her   
  
wide  
  
smile before she rested her head again on his chest.  
  
~**~  
  
It was sometime later, after the incident at the station, when Jett  
  
entered  
  
the house. Madison the servant took his coat.  
  
"Madison, where is father?"  
  
"He's in the den, sir, with Master Jace. Will there be anything else,  
  
sir?"  
  
Jett waved Madison away. "No, Madison. You may attend to your duties."  
  
"Yes, sir," he replied as he bowed and walked away. Jett entered the  
  
den  
  
where his brother and father were seated.  
  
He walked up to his father and clasped him on the back. "Father, I was  
  
wrong. I'm so sorry. But this took me by surprise."  
  
Malcolm looked at his son. "What do you mean, Jett?"  
  
Jett knelt down beside his father's chair. "The man at the station  
  
*was*  
  
Joxer, father. By all that is holy, he *is* alive."  
  
The old man stared at him. "You said it was just a cruel joke. How  
  
could you  
  
lie to me?"  
  
"Father, I didn't. I really thought it was a deception. I thought  
  
Xena was  
  
behind it. You did offer money to anyone who found him, and I thought  
  
Xena  
  
did that to get the reward. But I was wrong. It is him, father. Why  
  
don't we  
  
all go over to the Taylor's home and see him? I know he will be so  
  
happy to  
  
see you father, and you too, Jace."  
  
Jace looked suspiciously at his brother. "What are you up to, Jett?"  
  
Jett placed an arm around his brother. "I am up to nothing, dear  
  
brother.  
  
Just helping to reunite father and son. I'll have Madison bring the  
  
coach  
  
around and then we can leave. I'll be right back."  
  
Jett walked out into the garden where someone waited in the gloom.  
  
"Do you have everything ready?"  
  
"Yes, but you'd better bring him."  
  
"I will, but give me a little time. I've got to earn his trust."  
  
The shadowy figure nodded in agreement and slipped away.  
  
Jett came out front where his father and brother were waiting. He  
  
climbed  
  
inside and ordered their driver Algernon to take them to Lord Reginald  
  
Taylor's home.  
  
~**~  
  
Gabrielle took Joxer back into the house. He wanted to touch her lips  
  
again  
  
but she told him no.  
  
"What was that we were doing, Gabby? It felt very nice."  
  
She laughed a bit shyly. "It's called kissing."  
  
He nodded his head "I like kissing."  
  
He reached over to pull Gabrielle closer and kiss her again, but she  
  
shook  
  
her head, pulling away. "Not now, Joxer. There is a time and place  
  
for such  
  
things, and there'll be more of that once we're married." He looked  
  
disappointed and Gabrielle touched his face lovingly. "Don't be sad,  
  
Joxer."  
  
He smiled at her. "I'm not sad, Gabby. I'll wait as long as you want."  
  
She smiled back at him. Suddenly Hazel appeared. "Miss Gabrielle, your  
  
father wants to see you. Lord Mansfield and his sons are here."  
  
Gabrielle looked surprised, and then nodded her head.  
  
"Tell father we will be right there, Hazel."  
  
"Very good, Ma'am, I will tell him."  
  
Gabrielle smiled at Joxer. "Your family is here. Run up and change  
  
your  
  
shirt, and let's go meet your father."  
  
Joxer just stood there.  
  
"What wrong Joxer?"  
  
"I do not want to see my brother again. I..." He frowned in  
  
concentration,  
  
trying to think of the word his Gabby had used earlier. "I hate him,  
  
he's  
  
mean."  
  
Gabrielle gently took his arm. "Joxer, I was angry. I shouldn't have  
  
said I  
  
hated Jett. He's your brother. Please, let's meet them. I won't let  
  
him hurt  
  
you again, I promise."  
  
Joxer nodded his head, and after a quick trip upstairs, went with her  
  
to the  
  
den. As he entered, he watched the elderly man come forward. The old  
  
man  
  
touched his face, tears running down his cheeks. Joxer reached over  
  
to wipe  
  
them off, as he had seen Xena do for Gabrielle.  
  
"Oh my son, is it really you after all these years? Let me look at  
  
you."  
  
Joxer stood uncertainly as the old man kept going around him. He  
  
decided to  
  
make Gabrielle pleased, and he gathered his father into a hug. The  
  
man was a  
  
little surprised, and he gasped, "You certainly are a strong one."  
  
Xena gestured for him to let go. Joxer had forgotten about his own  
  
strength.  
  
"I am sorry. Did I hurt you?"  
  
Malcolm shook his head. "No, no, my boy. It's just so wonderful to  
  
see  
  
you."  
  
Jace came forward with his hand out to Joxer. "Hi, I'm your brother,  
  
Jace."  
  
Joxer looked at the hand and bowed down to kiss it. Jace giggled, and  
  
Jett  
  
stepped forward. "No, you don't kiss a man's hand; you shake it.  
  
Watch me."  
  
He took Jace's hand and shook it. "See? Like that."  
  
Joxer stared at Jett - he seemed a lot friendlier. Jett turned to his  
  
father. "Father, I think we should have a social gathering so you can  
  
tell  
  
everyone about Joxer."  
  
Lord Mansfield nodded his head. "That's a wonderful idea, son." He  
  
turned to  
  
Joxer. "Would you like that son?"  
  
Before Joxer could answer Xena broke in. "I don't think that's a good  
  
idea,  
  
sir. Not now."  
  
Jett smiled at her in a way that made Xena want to slap him  
  
silly. "Oh, I'm  
  
sure Gabrielle will have him ready by next week. If she can."  
  
The blonde woman looked angered by the challenge. "Oh, he'll be  
  
ready, all  
  
right. You just wait and see."  
  
"Good, then. So let's set the party for - say, next Saturday?"  
  
Gabrielle nodded her head. Lord Mansfield took Joxer out to the  
  
garden to  
  
talk and to get to know him better. Xena approached her  
  
friend. "Gabrielle,  
  
what were you thinking? Joxer's not ready for this."  
  
Gabrielle looked at the older woman. "I don't know, Xena. I just don't  
  
know."  
  
~**~  
  
The next week was the busiest Joxer could ever imagine. They began at  
  
the  
  
tailors, where Mr. Harrington fussed over his wide shoulders and  
  
strong  
  
upper arms, and wrote up the order for three suits, a tuxedo, a half  
  
a dozen  
  
shirts and a topcoat, with a rush on the tuxedo and one of the suits.  
  
Joxer  
  
had never been measured and wrapped and pinned like that in his life,  
  
and  
  
found out quickly why the assistant had warned, "Watch out for the  
  
pins if  
  
you sit down!" Then they went to the cobbler, who managed to put  
  
Joxer in a  
  
pair of soft leather boots that changed his opinion of shoes. They  
  
were much  
  
better when they fit properly. He also measured, and planned to  
  
custom make  
  
another pair. Then there were handkerchiefs and cravats and  
  
suspenders and  
  
even underclothes to be bought. After an entire day devoted to  
  
outfitting,  
  
the former ape-man slept better than he could imagine, partly thanks  
  
to the  
  
wonderful featherbed in which he rested.  
  
The next day was spent going over etiquette and working through his  
  
first  
  
dance lessons, which Joxer wasn't certain he cared for. But Gabby  
  
informed  
  
him they would be a daily routine, and rewarded him with another kiss  
  
when  
  
he finally stopped fussing about it. For that, he would dance all  
  
day, every  
  
day. Lord Taylor coached his future son-in-law on the niceties of  
  
politics  
  
and after-dinner small talk. His daughter had made it clear in no  
  
uncertain  
  
terms that she did not want Joxer familiar with cigars, so he learned  
  
how to  
  
properly decline the offer. He did learn to sip brandy without  
  
choking on  
  
it, however.  
  
On the third day, the walls began to close in. "Gabby," Joxer begged  
  
his  
  
love, "I have to get out and *do* something. All I do is sit or stand  
  
or  
  
ride in carriages. I need to swim, or climb some trees, or  
  
something." She  
  
had heard about the gymnasium that the Young Men's Christian  
  
Association had  
  
erected in London recently, and after some inquiries, was able to  
  
arrange a  
  
visit for her betrothed for a few hours. He came out beaming; having  
  
swam,  
  
learned more about boxing, and worked out on the bars and ropes.  
  
While they  
  
stood outside, at least four different young men, obviously in awe of  
  
his  
  
physical abilities, stopped just to express their admiration.  
  
Xena, on the other hand, was determined to discover what Jett  
  
Mansfield had  
  
up his sleeve. The turnaround in attitude had been a bit too neat and  
  
convenient for her tastes. She visited all her old haunts, asking  
  
discrete  
  
questions and showing a sketch Gabrielle had done of Jett, but no one  
  
seemed  
  
familiar with him. She even arranged lunch with Jace, who was as  
  
suspicious  
  
as she was, but had no more idea of what was going on.  
  
Joxer's favorite occurrence of the entire period was the visit with  
  
the  
  
priest - not due to any newfound religious feelings, but because that  
  
brought him a step closer to mating with Gabrielle. Marriage. She had  
  
coached him on the proper answers, and he had done wonderfully, only  
  
hesitating when asked about his baptism, which she covered. A date  
  
was set,  
  
not too far off, and Gabrielle had kissed him again on the landing on  
  
the  
  
way down. That night, he headed cheerfully to his father's estate to  
  
have  
  
his first dinner alone with his long lost family.  
  
Things were going too well; Xena was worried.  
  
~**~  
  
The little 'family reunion' had gone swimmingly. Jett sat on the  
  
bench in  
  
the darkened courtyard after Joxer left the house, the only light  
  
coming  
  
from the glow of his pipe. "My *dear* brother is coming along so  
  
nicely.  
  
It'll be such a *shock* when he runs off on the night of his social  
  
introduction. And of course, I'd only be obligated to comfort his  
  
abandoned  
  
fiancée."  
  
The figure beside him snorted. "You're not good enough for her,  
  
Mansfield."  
  
The eldest triplet raised a brow in amusement. "And you *are*, my  
  
friend?  
  
Hardly. You haven't sufficient class in your little finger."  
  
Jett's companion stood and glowered at him in anger. "She's too fine  
  
a woman  
  
to be impressed by social class. And I'll never be your friend." The  
  
fine  
  
gentleman tapped out his pipe and watched the other storm away.  
  
"Oh, don't worry. I never *want* to be your friend." He stood and  
  
dusted off  
  
his pants, heading inside.  
  
~**~  
  
Jett and Lord Mansfield had insisted that Joxer dress for the party  
  
at the  
  
Mansfield estate, and so he had arrived late Saturday afternoon, his  
  
things  
  
having been sent over earlier. He was shown to a room by an awed young  
  
serving girl, which he realized after a few minutes was the room that  
  
had  
  
been kept all these years for him. His clothing was hung on the front  
  
of the  
  
wardrobe, his shoes were polished and beside the bed. The wicker  
  
bassinette  
  
that must have been his was tucked in the corner, covered in netting,  
  
but  
  
otherwise, it was a room obviously outfitted for a young man. He  
  
wondered if  
  
Jace and Jett had similar rooms. A small part of him missed the  
  
simple nest  
  
he had shared with Sheera, Keenan and Raylan, and on rare occasions,  
  
his  
  
father. Except, this was his father, and this, not the nest, should  
  
have  
  
been his home. His mind whirled at the thought. A tap on the door  
  
drew him  
  
from his memories. "Come in."  
  
"Joxer?" Lord Mansfield still seemed overwhelmed by the return of his  
  
youngest boy. Even though he never gave up hope, the reality was far  
  
better  
  
than he had even dreamed. "I have something for you, son." The  
  
elderly man  
  
took a small box from his pocket. "I gave one of these to Jace and  
  
Jett when  
  
they turned eighteen, but yours has been in my dresser all these  
  
years,  
  
awaiting your return. It was a real pleasure to be able to remove it,  
  
finally." He watched eagerly as Joxer opened the box and extracted  
  
the fine  
  
gold pocket watch. "See," Lord Malcolm pointed out, "Your name is  
  
engraved  
  
inside." He fumbled in his other pocket. "I know you've given  
  
Gabrielle your  
  
mother's locket, but I also wanted to give you this, as the first of  
  
my sons  
  
to become engaged." He held up a lovely emerald ring, and Joxer took  
  
it  
  
carefully from his fingers, examining it. "I gave this to your mother  
  
when  
  
she agreed to marry me. I'd like you to present it tonight, when we  
  
announce  
  
the betrothal formally."  
  
Joxer was lost in the beautiful green stone. "It matches her eyes," he  
  
breathed quietly.  
  
"So it does," his father chuckled. "You do have it bad, my boy. But  
  
you've  
  
made a good choice."  
  
The Taylor carriage was among the first to arrive at the Mansfield  
  
estate,  
  
and inside, an elegantly dressed dark-haired woman was fuming. "I  
  
still  
  
don't like it, Gabrielle. Jett doesn't just give in like that.  
  
Something's  
  
going on."  
  
"Xena, everyone in London knows that you hate him and he hates you.  
  
You've  
  
spent all week trying to tie him to some kind of plot against Joxer,  
  
and you  
  
can't. Why don't you just accept that maybe he's doing what's right  
  
this  
  
time?" Gabrielle Taylor was considered one of the most beautiful  
  
women in  
  
the London social scene, but she rarely had cared about her  
  
appearance,  
  
dressing in whatever her maid laid out, and usually leaving parties  
  
early  
  
due to boredom. Her peculiarities had prevented many men other than  
  
Jett  
  
from even approaching her. This time, however, she had dressed with  
  
care,  
  
going over every detail carefully. She was stunning. And she planned  
  
to  
  
spend the whole evening dancing with her betrothed, whose true  
  
identity  
  
would finally be revealed to the world. She just knew nothing could  
  
go wrong  
  
tonight, and she refused to let her best friend's paranoia ruin her  
  
grand  
  
plans.  
  
"I think we should go in," Lord Taylor offered, fairly certain he'd  
  
missed  
  
something somewhere in this conversation, which wasn't unusual. He  
  
hoped  
  
Malcolm would be able to understand her, once she married into *his*  
  
family.  
  
~**~  
  
Lord Taylor helped his daughter out of the carriage. His ward gave  
  
him a  
  
look, so he didn't even try to help her. Xena hated social  
  
gatherings - if  
  
this one wasn't for her friend, she wouldn't be here. They entered the  
  
house, and Madison took their coats and Lord Taylor's hat. They  
  
walked into  
  
the ballroom, where they were announced.  
  
"Lord Taylor and his daughter, Gabrielle, and ward, Xena."  
  
Lord Mansfield came up and greeted them. "Today is the day, Reginald,  
  
that I  
  
tell everyone about the return of my son, and you will announce the  
  
upcoming  
  
marriage of my son and your daughter."  
  
"Where is Joxer?" asked Gabrielle.  
  
"Can't wait to see him, can you, my dear? He feels the same about  
  
you, I  
  
believe. He'll be down soon."  
  
"Mister Oscar Wilde," the butler announced.  
  
Lord Mansfield turned to his middle son. "Why is he here?"  
  
Jace stared at him. "I invited him." He turned and greeted his friend,  
  
taking his arm and leading him away. Lord Mansfield shook his head.  
  
He knew  
  
that Jace was different, but he wished he weren't so public about it.  
  
******  
  
Joxer stood in front of the full-length mirror, looking at himself.  
  
"Do you like what you see?"  
  
He didn't turn, knowing it was Jett standing behind him.  
  
"I think I look very nice, thank you."  
  
Jett laughed as he place a hand on his shoulder. "Joxer, I've got a  
  
message  
  
for you. Gabrielle wants to see you in the garden."  
  
"Why? I though I couldn't see her until the party."  
  
"She wants to give you another kiss. She asked me to bring you." In  
  
getting  
  
to know his brother, Jett had managed to find out a great deal about  
  
his  
  
relationship with the Taylor's, one member of the household in  
  
particular.  
  
Joxer's eyes lit up. He gladly followed Jett downstairs and into the  
  
garden.  
  
"Gabby, where are you?" But she wasn't there, and his shoulders  
  
slumped.  
  
"Jett, you're wrong. Gabby isn't here."  
  
Jett walked over and stood by him, his face twisting into an ugly  
  
grimace.  
  
"Do you want to know what I think? I don't think she ever really  
  
wanted you.  
  
I think under all that glitter you're still a savage, and not worthy  
  
of  
  
Gabrielle."  
  
Joxer turned in anger. "You have no right to say that. I *am* your  
  
brother."  
  
"My brother!" He laughed without humor. "If I had my way, *Jace*  
  
wouldn't be  
  
my brother, either."  
  
Joxer started towards Jett, when suddenly someone grabbed him from  
  
behind  
  
and put an odd smelling hankie over his mouth. After struggling for a  
  
few  
  
minutes, he passed out.  
  
"You could have helped, Jett."  
  
"You had everything under control, O'Malley. Now get him out of here.  
  
Oh, by  
  
the way - don't sell him to a sideshow. I thought it was a good idea  
  
when  
  
you first suggested it, but now I think it's too cruel. Kill him  
  
instead."  
  
Drake looked with disgust at the aristocrat. "Can you at least help  
  
me get  
  
him in the wagon? He's heavy."  
  
"I don't do manual labor. That's what you're getting paid for." At  
  
that,  
  
Jett turned to walk away.  
  
"Hey, if you don't help me, I won't get out of here. Might spoil your  
  
little  
  
surprise."  
  
"Okay, fine. I'll help you. "  
  
When they got Joxer into the wagon, Jett turned to Drake. "Hit me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said, hit me. I've got to make this look real."  
  
Drake smiled grimly as his fist went into Jett's face, knocking him  
  
out.  
  
Then he tore his clothes. ' That should make it more convincing, my  
  
*friend*. Thanks for the best offer I've had all day.' At that, he  
  
climbed  
  
into the wagon and drove away with Joxer's still figure.  
  
The party was in full swing. Lord Mansfield clinked his glass to get  
  
everyone's attention. "Please! Everyone take your seats. I have an  
  
announcement to make."  
  
Everyone sat down and waited for Lord Mansfield to speak. "As you  
  
know, my  
  
wife and younger son disappeared 22 years ago. My wife's remains were  
  
found,  
  
but no sign of my son Joxer ever was." He motioned for Gabrielle to  
  
come to  
  
him. "During her recent stay in Borneo, Gabrielle Taylor found my son  
  
Joxer  
  
and brought him home to me." Everyone gasped and started whispering  
  
among  
  
themselves. "I would like you all to meet my youngest son, Joxer  
  
Mansfield."  
  
They waited, but Joxer did not appear. Everyone was shocked when Jett  
  
stumbled in instead. He was a mess. His shirt was torn and he was  
  
bleeding.  
  
Lord Mansfield hurried over to his son. "Jett, what happened? Tell  
  
me, boy."  
  
Jett moved weakly as his father helped him over to a chair. Someone  
  
handed  
  
him a brandy, and he took a drink before he began. "It was horrible.  
  
I'm  
  
sorry, father. Joxer attacked me. He just went nuts. It was like he  
  
was an  
  
animal or something. I didn't stand a chance."  
  
"What did you do to him?" asked Xena dangerously.  
  
Jett looked at her. "Nothing. He was just too much of a savage to  
  
make it  
  
here. He's gone, and he nearly killed me in the process."  
  
Gabrielle grabbed Jett. The little blond artist had strength he never  
  
knew  
  
about, as was finding out now. "Where is Joxer?!"  
  
~**~ 


	5. Joxer of the Jungle 5

"Throw 'im in the monkey cage, then. I still don't believe yeh - 'e  
  
cain't  
  
talk ta bleedin' monkeys any more'n I kin. But 'e'll make a fine  
  
hand, wit'  
  
them muscles of 'is, so I guess 'e's worth the price yer askin'."  
  
Drake O'Malley held his hand out for the pound notes he'd been  
  
promised.  
  
He'd sold the slimy sideshow proprietor on Joxer's animal talents,  
  
and he  
  
wasn't a fool. If Jett Mansfield wanted his inconvenient brother  
  
killed,  
  
he'd have to do it himself. The money wasn't much, but combined with  
  
the  
  
gold pocket watch he'd taken off the ape-man before he stripped him  
  
down to  
  
his shorts, it would pay for him to start over somewhere else. It had  
  
cost  
  
him all his savings to beat those two women and Joxer back to London,  
  
but  
  
gaining revenge was almost payment enough. He wasn't taking the  
  
chance on  
  
blowing everything by becoming wanted for murder, though. As it was  
  
already,  
  
he'd have to give up his dreams of winning Gabrielle Taylor for his  
  
own.  
  
"He'll try to convince you he's a fine English gentleman, but don't  
  
listen.  
  
He won't be able to help talking to those apes he really belongs  
  
with."  
  
Sensing the sideshow barker had lost interest, and having been paid,  
  
the  
  
dark man reclaimed his cart and made himself scarce. Perhaps he could  
  
see  
  
the beautiful blonde once more before he left ...  
  
~**~  
  
"Ain't none of them ever come in 'ere before, 'cept ta feed us."  
  
Joxer woke  
  
to the strange voice in his ears, not alert enough yet to realize it  
  
wasn't  
  
human English he was hearing. He moaned.  
  
"Oh, look," another voice chimed in. " 'E's wakin' up."  
  
"Which one of you hit me?" Joxer asked, instinctively speaking the  
  
language  
  
he was hearing.  
  
"Blimey! 'E understands us! 'E's a naked ape!" The owner of the  
  
excited  
  
voice addressed Joxer. "Ain't none of us done it ta yeh, mate. Some  
  
big  
  
dark-skinned 'uman broughts yeh 'ere."  
  
Joxer opened his eyes, and saw a number of chimpanzee faces staring  
  
at him.  
  
"And here is?" he managed to get out.  
  
"We're part of a travelin' show, we are. We keep them 'umans  
  
laurfin'! It's  
  
our job!" came the proud answer.  
  
"Wonderful," Joxer moaned, his head still spinning. He wanted to lie  
  
back  
  
down, but he knew he had to wake up. Gabby needed him. And Jett -  
  
Jett had  
  
done something to him. How, he wasn't sure. But he'd never find out  
  
if he  
  
went back to sleep.  
  
He forced his eyes to focus but unfortunately, they were fixed on the  
  
scarred and ugly face of the sideshow owner, whose jaw was slack with  
  
wonder. "Corr, 'e wasn't tellin' tales - yeh *do* talk wit' th'  
  
monkeys!  
  
Ye'll be a bleedin' *goldmine*!" The man frowned, which made him look  
  
even  
  
worse. "I wonder what *other* critters yeh can talk wit'?"  
  
"You needn't talk about me like I can't understand *you*," Joxer  
  
snapped at  
  
the man, his mind still a bit hazy. "I do speak the Queen's English."  
  
And a  
  
painful thought of what the woman who had taught it to him must be  
  
feeling  
  
right now drifted through his imagination. "You have to let me out of  
  
here.  
  
I need to get back to my betrothed."  
  
"Aye, lissen at 'im, Mister Fancy Pants - 'is *betrothed*." The  
  
showman  
  
sneered. "Yer an animal, just like the rest of 'em. 'E told me yeh'd  
  
try an'  
  
sweet talk yer way outta 'ere. I paid good money fer yeh, an' yer not  
  
goin'  
  
nowheres." The fellow would have slammed the door on his way out, if  
  
it  
  
hadn't been a tent flap. Joxer's shoulders slumped in frustration.  
  
One of the chimps placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Listen,  
  
bloke -  
  
if yeh kin talks ta them, and yeh kin talks ta us, ye're smart enough  
  
ta  
  
figure a way out of 'ere. Names Mooks, by th' bye." The monkey held  
  
out his  
  
hand, and Joxer took it and shook, with a wry snicker.  
  
"You've spent time with humans, that's obvious."  
  
Mooks shrugged. "T'ain't such a bad life, really. They feeds us, an'  
  
we  
  
gets extra if we makes 'em laurf. Th' ole' barstard keeps th' cage  
  
clean  
  
enough, and me an' me mates don't 'ave ta worry about getting'  
  
killed. Could  
  
be worse."  
  
"For you, maybe," Joxer moaned. "If I don't get out of here, things  
  
couldn't  
  
get any worse for me." He looked down, and realized his fine clothes  
  
were  
  
gone, and with them, Gabby's ring and his pocket watch from his  
  
father. He  
  
rested his head in his hands and groaned again.  
  
~**~  
  
Gabrielle sat in the gazebo, cried out and fast reaching the point of  
  
completely numb. Jett had refused to change his story, and the party  
  
had  
  
disbanded with at least half the guests believing him, while the rest  
  
seemed  
  
to agree with Xena, who had announced loudly and repeatedly that  
  
something  
  
was nasty there, and it smelled of Jett. Lord Mansfield had rushed to  
  
the  
  
garden to look for clues, and found in the grass the ring he had  
  
given his  
  
son to give to his intended. No one could figure out what that meant  
  
to him,  
  
however, since he keeled over right afterward and the doctor, who was  
  
a  
  
party guest, had made unhappy noises after examining him.  
  
Gabrielle had gone right to the gazebo upon arriving home, and it was  
  
late  
  
in the evening before her father and Xena finally gave up trying to  
  
convince  
  
her to come inside. In between bouts of weeping, she had slept  
  
fitfully on  
  
the bench, and dreamed of her beautiful monkey-man as she had first  
  
seen  
  
him, proud and strong and nearly unclothed. After waking to watch the  
  
dew  
  
dry on the flowers, she now sat listlessly picking at her crumpled and  
  
ruined gown, unable to work up the strength to go inside for  
  
breakfast, and  
  
not really hungry anyway. A rustling in the shrubbery made her lift  
  
her  
  
head, just as two figures tumbled out.  
  
"Look what I found," Xena announced breathlessly as she knelt on Drake  
  
O'Malley's stomach and held his wrists to the ground, effectively  
  
pinning  
  
him down. "Strange timing, wouldn't you say?"  
  
The artist's lethargy dissipated, and she jumped to her feet and  
  
leapt over  
  
the railing to land beside the fallen man. "YOU!" she announced, her  
  
anger  
  
as powerful as her grief had been. "You hated him! Now you show up,  
  
the day  
  
after he's disappeared. What did you do to him?"  
  
O'Malley was all innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking  
  
about, my  
  
dear. I just got back to England, and had to see your beautiful face.  
  
I  
  
apologize for skulking in the bushes, but we hadn't parted on the  
  
best of  
  
ter..." He was unable to finish the sentence, as the sharp-toed  
  
slipper  
  
slammed into his ribs, robbing him of breath.  
  
"Shut up," she told him sullenly. Watching as her best friend used a  
  
bit of  
  
rope that had been on the ground to secure the dark man's hands, she  
  
went  
  
on. "He must have been working with Jett. It's the only way they  
  
could pull  
  
it off..."  
  
"Gabrielle," Xena grunted, "I could use a little help here. There you  
  
go,"  
  
she directed as the heiress came closer, "Unbutton his braces in the  
  
back,  
  
would you?" Grabbing the two suspenders, she fastened them securely  
  
together, tossing one end over a branch a foot or two over O'Malley's  
  
head,  
  
and bringing them back and lacing them through the rope holding his  
  
wrists.  
  
When she pulled on it, it hoisted his hands over his head, and she  
  
secured  
  
the whole arrangement snuggly, just as Drake's pants fell around his  
  
ankles.  
  
"That should keep him still 'til the Bobbies get here." Something  
  
fell from  
  
the man's trousers pocket and rolled a bit, catching her  
  
attention. "Say,  
  
what have we here?"  
  
Gabrielle picked it up. "It's a gold pocket watch, Xena. It looks  
  
new."  
  
Curious, she opened the cover. "Xena," the artist gasped, "It has  
  
*Joxer's*  
  
name in it!"  
  
The bodyguard turned on the now quivering man. "You have *no idea*  
  
how much  
  
you are going to regret this," she promised with a feral smile.  
  
~**~  
  
Joxer had conversed with the half-dozen chimpanzees long enough to  
  
get a  
  
rough idea of the daily schedule on traveling or non-show days. So  
  
when the  
  
show owner and a big dumb-looking lackey entered the tent mid-  
  
morning, he  
  
expected them to commence cleaning the cage. Instead, the showman  
  
unlocked  
  
the cage, and signaled to the drudge, who reached in and gracelessly  
  
pulled  
  
Joxer from the group. "Yeh must have more'n just monkeys yeh can  
  
talks ta,"  
  
the man explained.  
  
So Joxer was unceremoniously marched from cage to cage in the  
  
entourage, and  
  
told to communicate with each different creature. He didn't even  
  
refuse  
  
verbally, just maintained his stony silence - even when teased by the  
  
hyenas, which were rude but cowardly, and backed down at his  
  
threatening  
  
stare. There was a large lizard, a species he'd had some contact with  
  
in  
  
Borneo that communicated in eye blinks and twitches, and he got a  
  
brief  
  
greeting in there without his new owner's knowledge. But otherwise,  
  
he was  
  
not about to give this man the satisfaction.  
  
"E's useless," the big dolt finally rumbled.  
  
"Nah, I'm thinkin' e's stubborn," the owner said slyly. "If'n 'e  
  
won't talk  
  
when I wants 'im ta, I'll just force 'im. Throw 'im in wit' th' big  
  
cat."  
  
The cage was unlocked, and Joxer found himself sharing close quarters  
  
with a  
  
large male jaguar. The cat eyed him lazily, then stood and stretched  
  
himself  
  
all over.  
  
"Wot if it kills 'im?" the drudge asked nervously.  
  
His boss just shrugged. "Could 'appen."  
  
Pride wasn't worth dying for. Joxer growled with forced  
  
cheeriness, "Well,  
  
hello. Fancy meeting you here. My best friend back home is a jaguar -  
  
her  
  
name's Chula. What's yours?"  
  
The big jag lifted a brow. "I don't normally introduce myself to my  
  
dinner.  
  
It's not often I get fresh meat." Obviously not impressed with his  
  
prey's  
  
verbal abilities, the sleek cat moved smoothly towards Joxer, whose  
  
fear was  
  
quickly swallowed by his anger. He hadn't done anything to deserve  
  
this! In  
  
the past day he'd gone from being well dressed and about to be  
  
married, to  
  
almost undressed and about to be eaten, and he hadn't done anything  
  
WRONG!  
  
This was just too much. He started to growl, a menacing warning that  
  
even  
  
the big predator slowed at the sound of. Then the deep brown eyes  
  
began to  
  
swirl and churn as they locked on the eyes of the jaguar.  
  
Fear. Danger. Burning heat, and bitter icy cold. He could feel his  
  
fur being  
  
ripped out, bit by painful bit. The big cat was swallowed up by a  
  
terror he  
  
only had ever seen in the faces of his prey in the past. Panicked, he  
  
began  
  
to whimper like an injured kitten, and curled up into a little ball to  
  
escape that deadly glare. As the danger faded, so did Joxer's anger,  
  
and he  
  
took a deep breath to steady himself.  
  
"Cheetah," the show owner was almost sobbing. "What did 'e do ta  
  
Cheetah?"  
  
Joxer frowned at the man. "He's a jaguar, you moron. A cheetah is an  
  
entirely different type of animal."  
  
But the man wasn't listening, speaking to the big worker  
  
instead. "Throw 'im  
  
back in wit' th' monkeys, and whatever yeh do, don't look in 'is  
  
eyes. My  
  
poor Cheetah! 'E was one of th' best attractions."  
  
"Sure thing, Mr. Blimp." He grabbed Joxer and pulled his hands behind  
  
his  
  
back and then blindfolded him. "This'll keep yeh from using them eyes  
  
on  
  
me." He yanked the rope around Joxer's neck and the tall man stumbled.  
  
"C'mon, ape-man, let's go."  
  
Joxer couldn't see, but his sense of smell worked almost as good, and  
  
he  
  
could think - he would still find a way out. His thoughts were  
  
suddenly  
  
interrupted by Blimp's voice.  
  
"Wait, I got a better idea. Put 'im in wit' Killer."  
  
His lackey turned around, nearly choking Joxer. "Killer! Blimey, Mr.  
  
Blimp,  
  
Killer'll tear 'im apart."  
  
The showman looked at him. "Pity, ain't it? But 'e needs ta be taught  
  
a  
  
lesson. No one 'urts me main attraction and gets away wit' it.  
  
Yeh 'ear me,  
  
ape-man?"  
  
Joxer stood tall and said nothing. "Ain't talkin', huh? Well, it don't  
  
matter. Let's go. I want ta see this meself."  
  
They dragged Joxer roughly toward another cage. Joxer could hear the  
  
roar of  
  
an angry animal. When they got there, Joxer was untied and  
  
unblindfolded,  
  
then shoved into the cage.  
  
Joxer looked around him, slowly, and his eyes landed upon a large male  
  
gorilla. This one should be easier. He approached the gorilla in a  
  
friendly  
  
gorilla greeting. "Hi, my name is Joxer. You must be Killer." Killer  
  
grabbed  
  
Joxer by the arm, picking him up and throwing him against the side of  
  
the  
  
cage. Joxer felt the impact in every bone as his body hit the bars.  
  
Killer  
  
came charging after him and he was too stunned to move. The gorilla  
  
had him  
  
now in a tight grip, squeezing the very life out of him.  
  
Joxer looked into Killer's eyes to calm him down or else frighten him  
  
away,  
  
but something was wrong. Killer paid no attention to Joxer's eyes. He  
  
squeezed tighter, and Joxer knew he was going to die. As he gave in,  
  
his  
  
thoughts were on his sweet Gabby. Soon he passed out, and the ape  
  
dropped  
  
him, having lost interest. Mr. Blimp turned to his lackey. "Get 'im  
  
out o'  
  
there. Don't need 'im dead, if'n we can 'elp it. Paid good money  
  
for 'im, I  
  
did."  
  
The big man called for some help. The two men entered the cage with  
  
him, one  
  
waving a torch at Killer to keep him away. Chuck Forrest, Mr. Blimp's  
  
drudge, picked up Joxer and threw him over his shoulder. Taking him  
  
back to  
  
the monkey cage, he tossed him in like a rag doll.  
  
Mr. Blimp smiled. "That'll teach yeh, ape-man, to defy me. Come on I'm  
  
'ungry. Let's get us som'pun ta eat."  
  
"Wot about them?"  
  
"Lunchtime ain't until three. We'll feed 'em then. Oh, and let's give  
  
ape-man that stuff wot what we feed Killer. If it makes Killer crazy,  
  
it  
  
just might 'im. Oughtta make the show more interestin' that way."  
  
When the two men left, the chimpanzees gathered around their  
  
unconscious  
  
friend. Mooks lifted his eyelid to see if there was a reaction. He  
  
heard a  
  
small voice behind him.  
  
"Is 'e dead, Mooks?"  
  
"No, but 'e needs 'elp, 'uman-type 'elp. I gots ta get 'im somebody."  
  
"Are yeh daft? I know yeh know 'ow ta get out of th' cages, but 'ow  
  
are yeh  
  
goin' ta get 'im 'elp? Ain't a 'uman alive 'cept fer this'un that'll  
  
understand a bit o' wot yer sayin'."  
  
"Frawn, love, I'll find someone ta 'elp 'im. In th' meanwhiles, yeh  
  
all make  
  
sure wot the Old Barstard don't get near 'im."  
  
Mooks turned back to his friend and sniffed him. "I got 'is scent  
  
down now -  
  
I just needs ta find someone who 'is scent's been 'round."  
  
~**~  
  
Karen "Callie" Callahan stood in front of Mr. Blimp. As his animal  
  
trainer,  
  
she checked in every day to find out what new charges he had for  
  
her. "That  
  
new ape-man'll be needin' your attention t'day, Callie."  
  
She smiled at him wickedly. "Another big ape, hmm? Shall I give him  
  
what I  
  
give Killer?"  
  
"By all means, m'dear."  
  
He led her to the still unconscious ape-man. Callie stared at him in  
  
shock.  
  
"Do you have any idea who you have here?"  
  
"Yeah, some monkey-lovin' ape-man."  
  
"You idiot! This is Lord Mansfield's long-lost son, Joxer." In spite  
  
of the  
  
fact that she'd been blacklisted in the London Social circle due to  
  
her  
  
reputation as a loose woman, Callie kept her eyes and ears out for  
  
information about her former associates, many of whom she now hated  
  
passionately. "Little Gabrielle Taylor's supposed betrothed is now my  
  
plaything. That little rich snob has everything, and thanks to her  
  
and her  
  
friends, I have nothing. Oh, I'm going to love this."  
  
She took a torch and climbed into the cage. The chimps tried to keep  
  
her  
  
away from Joxer, but she waved the torch at them, and they backed  
  
away,  
  
afraid. She sat down beside him and lifted his head, putting it on  
  
her lap.  
  
Joxer slowly open his eyes and looked into Callie's eyes. All he  
  
could make  
  
out clearly was a halo of blonde hair. The rest was all hazy.  
  
"Gabby?" he weakly said. She stroked his hair.  
  
"Yes, Joxer, it's me, Gabby. I'm going to fix you up, okay?"  
  
He smiled and closed his eyes, opening them again with a slight  
  
frown. Her  
  
voice sounded odd, but his head felt odd, too, so maybe that was it.  
  
His  
  
eyes slid shut again. He knew he was safe now that his Gabby was with  
  
him.  
  
~**~  
  
The police came and took O'Malley away. He had refused to talk, so  
  
they  
  
still had no idea where Joxer was. Lord Taylor walked into the  
  
drawing  
  
room, shaking his head. "I have bad news."  
  
Gabrielle went to her father. "What's wrong?" She gave a twisted half-  
  
smile.  
  
"Or should I say, what else?"  
  
He smiled sadly at his daughter and sat down. "I need a drink. Could  
  
you fix  
  
me a brandy?" Xena brought the drink over to him, and he quickly  
  
finished it  
  
off.  
  
"Father, please tell me what's wrong," begged the artist, as she  
  
knelt down  
  
beside his chair.  
  
He put his hand gently on her, trying to soften the blow. "Lord  
  
Mansfield  
  
suffered a heart attack last night and died."  
  
Gabrielle gasped for air. She couldn't believe what she had just  
  
heard. "No.  
  
It can't be true. Joxer's father can't be dead. He barely got to know  
  
him!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Gabrielle. "  
  
She ran from the room. Xena shared a concerned glance with Lord  
  
Taylor.  
  
"This is too much for Gabrielle. I'll go talk to her."  
  
He nodded his head, and then got up. "We need to get away for a  
  
while. I'll  
  
arrange everything. Go to the country house for a bit."  
  
Xena nodded her head. "I think that's a good idea. Why don't you and  
  
Gabrielle do that?"  
  
"You *are* coming, too."  
  
"No, sir. I need to find Joxer for Gabrielle."  
  
  
  
He nodded his head. "I understand."  
  
Xena went out to the garden and found Gabrielle in her usual place.  
  
She was  
  
crying her heart out. Xena said nothing but gave her support as the  
  
blonde  
  
artist cried on her shoulder.  
  
~**~  
  
Joxer was cowering in the corner of the cage. His eyes were unfocused.  
  
Whenever one of the chimps would come near him, he would scream  
  
out, "Stay  
  
away from me!" He wrapped his arms around his legs, and began to  
  
rock to  
  
and fro, muttering to himself, "Danger, danger."  
  
Frawn shook her head. The same thing that happened to Kongo, who was  
  
now  
  
Killer, was happening to Joxer. "Oh Mooks, please hurry - before  
  
Joxer is  
  
lost completely, like Kongo."  
  
~**~  
  
Mooks knew that monkeys weren't common on the streets of London, so he  
  
traveled in the dark shadows, slipping stealthily from alley to  
  
deserted  
  
doorway, his nose on duty at all times. At one point, he smelled  
  
someone who  
  
had been near Joxer, and he was excited, until he realized that the  
  
smell  
  
was coming from between the window bars of a place even he, with all  
  
his  
  
skills, couldn't find a way into. Still, he clung to the bars for a  
  
while,  
  
and picked up the scent of the man that also wore Joxer's scent.  
  
Perhaps he  
  
could follow that to find someone who knew his friend.  
  
Unfortunately, the scent of the man in the room led only to a big  
  
cage on  
  
wheels in back of the building. But the horse there was able to give  
  
Mooks  
  
passable directions, although his chimpanzee was a little rusty. He  
  
only  
  
knew the language because he'd been acquainted years earlier with an  
  
organ  
  
grinder's sidekick, and Mooks was impressed he remembered at all, and  
  
told  
  
him so. The horse did inform him that the Gardens would be a good  
  
shortcut  
  
to the place he was heading, and Mooks took to the trees.  
  
As he swung toward his destination, he thought about his hairless  
  
friend.  
  
How would he convince anyone to come help him? He spoke of  
  
this 'Gabrielle,'  
  
and had explained that they had plans to mate, which struck Mooks as  
  
an odd  
  
concept - one either mated or one didn't. In his admittedly limited  
  
experience, planning was not involved. He worried about Frawn, his  
  
own mate,  
  
and how she would manage to keep the Old Barstard away from Joxer.  
  
Soon he  
  
was where the horse had directed him, and his nose would do the rest.  
  
~**~  
  
"NO!" Gabrielle stomped her foot, and her father sighed. "I will  
  
*not* go to  
  
the country! I want to be *here* in case Joxer comes back." They had  
  
just  
  
returned from the service for Lord Mansfield, and she was still  
  
dressed in  
  
black, with the veiled hat on. Her father had mentioned his plans in  
  
the  
  
carriage on the way home.  
  
"I promise to look for him, and send a message as soon as I know  
  
anything at  
  
all," Xena cajoled her friend.  
  
"You've been extremely worked up ever since you came back from  
  
Borneo," her  
  
father said, soothingly. "There's been so much going on."  
  
The artist's voice dropped almost to a whisper, and rose in volume as  
  
she  
  
spoke. "My fiancé's father just died, he's been taken God-knows-where  
  
by  
  
God-knows-who, *he* could be dead for all we know, and you want me to  
  
go off  
  
on *holiday*?" She finished in an angry shout. "NO!" She brushed past  
  
them  
  
and ran up the stairs to her room.  
  
Xena lifted a brow at her guardian. "You aren't going to tell me  
  
you're  
  
*surprised* by this?" The elderly man just blew out his breath and  
  
shook his  
  
head, starting up the stairs after his distraught daughter. His ward  
  
stopped  
  
him with a hand on his arm. "I *will* find him, you know. You can  
  
tell her  
  
that." Lord Taylor smiled faintly and continued up the stairs.  
  
Xena headed for the door with determination. She had a promise to  
  
keep. If  
  
she could implicate Jett Mansfield in his brother's disappearance,  
  
all the  
  
better.  
  
~**~  
  
Mooks stared from the tree in awe. This place smelled a *lot* like  
  
Joxer,  
  
and it even had two copies of him there! Although they were  
  
different, too.  
  
Both were dressed in black suits, and had shorter hair. One had cold  
  
and  
  
nasty eyes, like he was made of the stuff the cage bars were made of.  
  
The  
  
other looked nicer, and moved in a smooth and delicate way, like  
  
Callie the  
  
trainer did when she was putting on a show, just before she'd go into  
  
Cheetah's cage. For some reason, even the biggest men in the audience  
  
were  
  
frightened when she did that, although once she got Cheetah worked  
  
up, she  
  
moved just like the real Callie. She was mean and tough, and never in  
  
any  
  
real danger. Mooks didn't understand.  
  
He didn't understand the conversation below him either, although  
  
there were  
  
a couple of human words that he knew. He heard the delicate one  
  
say "Kill"  
  
in a scared and questioning way, and the hard one laughed coldly. That  
  
wasn't the kind of laugh Mooks liked. But the hard one said, "No,"  
  
and then  
  
something more, which made the delicate one look happier, although  
  
not much.  
  
Then a dark woman, who looked tough like Callie but not so mean, came  
  
into  
  
the garden, and seemed to scare the hard one. She even gave a mean  
  
look to  
  
the delicate one, who didn't look happy again. For some reason, Mooks  
  
liked  
  
the dark woman. He would follow her - she had Joxer's scent, too. 


	6. Joxer of the Jungle 6

~**~  
  
"It was a nice funeral," Jett said, pleased at the turnout from the  
  
Social  
  
Register. He followed Jace into the garden, since it was a lovely  
  
autumn  
  
day.  
  
His brother's head was bowed. "As those things go, I guess it was."  
  
He sat  
  
on a bench, while Jett paced in front of him. "Jett, did you kill  
  
Joxer?" he  
  
finally asked, in a small frightened voice.  
  
Jett laughed derisively. "No," he answered, "I didn't kill him. I  
  
can't say  
  
for sure he's still alive, though. It really doesn't matter, as long  
  
as he  
  
stays gone until the will is read and the estate distributed, now  
  
does it?  
  
Although, if he *is* really gone, Gabrielle will eventually have to  
  
give up  
  
on him, and I can have her..."  
  
The low dangerous voice broke his pleasant mental pictures. "I always  
  
knew  
  
you were a bastard, Jett, but to do away with your own brother tops  
  
what I'd  
  
expect, even from *you*." He'd always thought Gabrielle's closest  
  
friend had  
  
a streak of madness in her, and what he was seeing now in her eyes  
  
indicated  
  
it had risen to the surface. Her usually beautiful blue orbs looked  
  
like ice  
  
and steel together, and he gulped reflexively before regaining his  
  
composure, and smiling triumphantly.  
  
"You have no evidence, Xena. You can't prove a thing, if I actually  
  
did  
  
anything, which I didn't."  
  
"It's just a matter of time before Drake O'Malley rats on you, Jett,"  
  
She  
  
saw his façade slip slightly again. "HA! You didn't know we had  
  
*him*, did  
  
you? Actually, we don't - the coppers do. And they'll get the truth  
  
out of  
  
him soon enough. All the money in the world can't save somebody who  
  
murdered  
  
his own family - even if you didn't do Joxer in, by doing what you  
  
did, you  
  
killed your own father. Blood money won't save you. Maybe coming clean  
  
will." With a pointed look at Jace, she turned and strode away.  
  
For a moment, Jace saw regret dance across Jett's face, and he  
  
wondered if  
  
living all his life without ever wanting for anything maybe *hadn't*  
  
hardened his brother beyond redemption, after all. Then Jett's  
  
expression  
  
steeled, and he snorted. "She's never liked me. Her suspicions don't  
  
mean a  
  
damn thing." But in spite of the cool air, there was sweat on his  
  
brow.  
  
~**~  
  
Xena was so angry she could see red patches dancing before her eyes.  
  
It was  
  
all she could do to keep from grabbing the self-righteous idiot by the  
  
throat and squeezing him until he told her the truth, but she didn't  
  
dare -  
  
she might kill him. Then she'd never know if he'd killed her best  
  
friend's  
  
beloved, nor would he have to endure the punishment he deserved.  
  
Death was  
  
too easy - torture might be good. She was so focused on the myriad  
  
wonderful  
  
ways she would like to see the eldest Mansfield triplet suffer, she  
  
almost  
  
didn't register the frantic screeching nearby. When she did, she  
  
thought  
  
perhaps she was having flashbacks to Joxer's family in Borneo, since  
  
it  
  
sounded a lot like the conversations she had overheard there.  
  
Finally, she  
  
noticed the chimp, perched on the lowest limb of a huge tree, trying  
  
to get  
  
her attention. At least, she *thought* he was trying to get her  
  
attention.  
  
Once she looked right at him attentively, he calmed down, confirming  
  
her  
  
assessment.  
  
"'Allo, little fellow. What brings you here?"  
  
The monkey jumped down, grabbing at her hand and trying to drag her  
  
somewhere. She delicately disengaged herself, not willing to just be  
  
carted  
  
off by some wild animal, in spite of how human he seemed. She was  
  
amazed by  
  
how much knowing Joxer had affected the way she looked at animals  
  
anymore.  
  
She'd found herself feeding ducks bread bits and putting milk out for  
  
stray  
  
cats these days. You never know whose family they might be... Her  
  
eyes grew  
  
wide, as the thoughts connected. "Joxer? Is this about Joxer, little  
  
fellow?"  
  
The monkey jumped up and down in excitement, bobbing his head in a  
  
very  
  
human-looking nod. He grabbed her hand again, and Xena allowed him to  
  
drag  
  
her through the park. They wound up in front of the Police station,  
  
outside  
  
a high barred window. The monkey scaled up to the opening, and pointed  
  
inside and screeched again. She suddenly knew exactly why she was  
  
there. She  
  
strode confidently inside and to the desk. "I'd like to visit Drake  
  
O'Malley  
  
please."  
  
Mooks held onto the bars even though the man on the other side was  
  
giving  
  
him a nasty look. Now that he could see him well, he recognized him  
  
as the  
  
dark human who had first brought Joxer to their cage. Maybe he could  
  
help  
  
the woman figure out what Joxer needed. His human assistant entered  
  
the  
  
room, escorted by another big human with shiny things on his shirt.  
  
She  
  
moved right over to the window, and smiled to see Mooks waiting  
  
there. He  
  
bared his teeth at her in agreement.  
  
Xena had really hoped she'd never have to deal with O'Malley again,  
  
although  
  
she had been comforted somewhat in finding her instincts about him  
  
had been  
  
correct. But the monkey seemed to think he knew something, and after  
  
he  
  
brought her here, she knew without question it was about Joxer. She  
  
turned  
  
her most dangerous smile upon the imprisoned man. "You give me  
  
something to  
  
use against Jett Mansfield, I might be able to arrange a lighter  
  
sentence  
  
for you. I know he was involved, and I know you were. I'll put it all  
  
together soon enough, but if you can make *my* job easier, I'll try  
  
to help  
  
you out, too." She jerked her thumb at the Chimp on the window. "He  
  
may not  
  
be the best witness, but *he* knows you were involved, too, and I'm  
  
sure he  
  
can lead me to better ones. You *are* going down for this - it's up  
  
to you  
  
how far."  
  
~**~  
  
Joxer was fighting for his sanity. He had brief moments where he knew  
  
exactly who he was, where he was, and why he was there, but they were  
  
becoming scarcer. More often, everything was a threat, except his  
  
sweet  
  
Gabby. But sometimes she wasn't Gabby, even though she said she was.  
  
Then  
  
she would feed him some more, and he would forget just who she was,  
  
or even  
  
who she was supposed to be. All he knew was that he could never hurt  
  
*her*.  
  
He had hurt one of the chimps, a male named Dagoo. That was when they  
  
took  
  
him out and gave him his own cage. His long hair was dirty and  
  
unkempt right  
  
now, but now and then the Gabby who might not be Gabby would come and  
  
wash  
  
it, and comb it gently, saying soothing things to him. His shorts had  
  
ripped, and he had awakened from one sleep he hadn't remembered  
  
falling into  
  
with a loincloth on. It reminded him of something, but he wasn't sure  
  
what.  
  
He couldn't tell if days had passed, or weeks, or merely hours. Most  
  
of the  
  
time, he didn't care.  
  
Karen Callahan looked through the bars at the drugged man huddled  
  
within,  
  
sensing more than seeing Blimp behind her. "He's nearly ready, you  
  
know. I  
  
still don't think fighting him and Killer is a good idea. It's a  
  
match you  
  
can only pull off once - one of them will be dead afterwards."  
  
"Naw," the show owner snorted, "We'll just 'it 'em with a stun  
  
dart 'fore  
  
they kill each other. The crowd'll be pissed, but we'll give 'em lots  
  
o'  
  
blood 'fore we do it. It'll satisfy 'em. Th' 'ardest parts makin'  
  
sure the  
  
coppers are paid well enough ta stay away. That, an' makin' sure we  
  
gots  
  
enough of that stuff ta put in the feed wot makes 'em crazy." He had  
  
put in  
  
a good supply before Joxer had come along, and was still eternally  
  
grateful  
  
to the man who sold it to him. The big dumb ape was lazy and not at  
  
all  
  
entertaining before the fellow came to Blimp's tent one night and  
  
explained  
  
what a simple additive to the gorilla's food could do. Now, besides  
  
the  
  
jaguar, the gorilla was his best attraction - snarling and  
  
threatening the  
  
crowds from behind his bars, sometimes trying to throw things at the  
  
people.  
  
A little safe danger was what the crowds wanted - scary animals. The  
  
thrill.  
  
Maybe he should give the jag some of that stuff, too. He'd never been  
  
the  
  
same since the ape-man had been in with him.  
  
Callie reached through the bars and ran her fingers thorough Joxer's  
  
hair.  
  
He snarled at her at first, but then relaxed when he realized who it  
  
was.  
  
From somewhere far away, he reached for the identity. "Gabby?"  
  
"That's right, sweetheart," Callie cooed. "I need to take care of  
  
your hair  
  
again. I'll be right in."  
  
"Hey," Blimp called after her as she went to fetch the supplies, "Do  
  
it seem  
  
ta yeh that we're missin' one o' them damned chimps? I mean, besides  
  
the one  
  
wots hurt."  
  
Callie shrugged. "A monkey's a monkey. I hadn't noticed."  
  
~**~  
  
O'Malley laughed as he walked over to his cot. "Do you take me for a  
  
fool,  
  
Xena? There is no way Jett Mansfield will go down for this. I'm not  
  
telling  
  
you anything."  
  
Xena walked over to the man and pinched him on the neck. It was an  
  
interesting technique she'd learned from an East Indian trainer at the  
  
school for bodyguards who'd taken a liking to her. She'd never  
  
actually had  
  
a good reason to try it before, and she sort of hoped she'd remember  
  
how to  
  
remove it when she was finished. O'Malley was now struggling to  
  
breathe. She  
  
sneered at him.  
  
"I cut off the flow of blood to your brain. You have 4 minutes to  
  
tell me  
  
where Joxer is, or you *should* die a painful death." She hoped her  
  
uncertainty wasn't too clear in her words. She wasn't really exactly  
  
sure  
  
how long he had, even, but she knew it wasn't *less* than four  
  
minutes.  
  
O'Malley gasped for air, but wasn't getting any. "Blimp ...I ...sold  
  
...him...to Blimp's...sideshow."  
  
"Was Jett behind this kidnapping?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Xena released her hold on him and he could breathe again. She was  
  
fairly  
  
relieved, although not nearly so much as Drake was. "Thanks,  
  
O'Malley."  
  
"What about the deal?"  
  
"What deal?" She turned and left the cell.  
  
When Xena came around the building where the chimp waited for her,  
  
she saw  
  
Gabrielle standing there, holding the monkey. "Gabrielle! What are  
  
you  
  
doing here?"  
  
The artist looked at her friend pleadingly. "I came to help find  
  
Joxer,  
  
Xena, and I am *not* going back. You can't make me. I love him, Xena."  
  
Xena rolled her eyes at her friend. "Climbed down the damn trellis  
  
again,  
  
didn't you?"  
  
Gabrielle smiled guiltily. "I had to - I didn't want father to know I  
  
followed you. Did O'Malley tell you where Joxer is?"  
  
She looked down at her feet before answering the question. "Yeah.  
  
Blimp has  
  
him - he's in the sideshow."  
  
"What? Oh God, no. That's the weirdo that Callie Callahan ended up  
  
working  
  
for, isn't it? Xena, if that bitch hurts him in any way, I'll kill  
  
her."  
  
Xena knew how Gabrielle felt about Callahan. Callie had no heart.  
  
She'd  
  
tried her best to ruin Gabrielle's reputation just before the truth  
  
of her  
  
own indiscretions came out, just for fun. She was cold as ice, and  
  
had no  
  
feeling for anyone - people or animals. She would gladly torture the  
  
creatures in her care, just to get a good show.  
  
"Okay, Gabrielle, you can help me, but you've got to stay clear-  
  
headed ."  
  
"I will Xena."  
  
Mooks stared at the two women. After being around humans all his  
  
life,  
  
unlike some of the chimps, he'd learned more than a few of their  
  
words. The  
  
dark-haired woman had just called the smaller woman Gabrielle. So  
  
this was  
  
Joxer's mate. She wasn't as pretty as Frawn but, for a human, she was  
  
okay.  
  
"So - where do we start?"  
  
"I don't know, Gabrielle."  
  
Mooks jumped out of Gabrielle's arms and began to hop up and down. He  
  
ran a  
  
bit, and turned to see if they were following.  
  
"Xena, I think he wants us to follow him."  
  
Xena nodded her head. "Then let's do it."  
  
~**~  
  
They stood outside the cage, watching their prize climbing the bars  
  
and  
  
roaring like an animal.  
  
"I'd say 'e was ready, wouldn't yeh, my dear?"  
  
"Oh, yes, he's ready. He won't let anyone near him anymore. It should  
  
prove  
  
to be a good show today. Make sure those blow darts are ready, "  
  
Callie  
  
replied as she walked away. Joxer was now gone. He didn't even  
  
respond to  
  
her these days, without her whip. He was now completely animal. There  
  
was no  
  
trace of human left in him. The drug had done its job. She went to  
  
Killer's  
  
cage to get him ready.  
  
Killer was quiet. "Come on, you big ape - we've got a show to do," she  
  
growled as she cracked the whip on the gorilla's back. Killer roared  
  
and  
  
charged her, but she moved too quickly for him. Two of the men came  
  
to help  
  
her. "Get him ready for the show."  
  
When Xena and Gabrielle arrived they saw no one around except some  
  
animals  
  
in cages. A large poster proclaimed, "See the wild half-ape, half-man  
  
fight  
  
the Killer gorilla - TODAY!" The bodyguard's stomach sunk, and she  
  
hoped her  
  
friend had missed that. Xena moved towards a large tent where there  
  
seemed  
  
to be a show taking place. They heard cheers. "Gabrielle, you stay  
  
here."  
  
The blonde artist protested, "Xena, I'm going with you."  
  
Xena was losing patience with her friend. "Gabrielle, you stay here.  
  
I don't  
  
need to be worrying about you while I'm trying to save Joxer."  
  
Gabrielle's eyes darkened. "Please, Xena, don't make me stay here.  
  
I'll go  
  
nuts. And he might be frightened or hurt, and need me."  
  
Xena refused to give in. She didn't want her friend to see Joxer yet -  
  
there  
  
was no telling what that Callahan woman might have done to him. "No.  
  
Now  
  
*stay*. *Here*."  
  
She went inside the tent, knowing that right now, Gabrielle hated  
  
her. She  
  
stood there frozen in shock when she saw Joxer - at least she thought  
  
it was  
  
Joxer - and a gorilla in a large ring, fighting each other. Joxer was  
  
no  
  
match for the huge gorilla, but he didn't seem to care. The more the  
  
gorilla  
  
threw him around, the more he came back. The gorilla now had Joxer in  
  
a  
  
death grip, and people were cheering like there was nothing wrong with  
  
watching an animal kill a human. Xena suddenly let out a cry, which  
  
made  
  
people turn and look. She flew though the air and landed on top of  
  
the big  
  
ape, knocking him out by using her pinch. It had worked on Drake, so  
  
she  
  
could only hope it would work on this creature as well. Joxer came  
  
towards  
  
Xena and grabbed her, holding her in the same grip Killer had used on  
  
him.  
  
"Joxer!" Xena cried, "let go! It's me."  
  
But he paid no attention to her. He couldn't. He felt nothing but  
  
rage. Xena  
  
tried to get her arm free to knock him out the way she did Killer but  
  
she  
  
couldn't. He was slowly squeezing her to death.  
  
"That's it, Joxer! Kill her. She's the one that kept you from your  
  
mate,"  
  
Callie Callahan screamed to the monster she had created. The drug's  
  
effects  
  
were strong, and Joxer believed everything she said.  
  
"No! Joxer - let Xena go!"  
  
Xena knew she was losing consciousness, but she could have sworn she  
  
heard  
  
just heard Gabrielle talking like an orangutan.  
  
"Please put her down, Joxer."  
  
He stared, trying to clear his head. *This* was his mate! Slowly, he  
  
let go  
  
of Xena, who slipped unconscious to the ground. He came towards  
  
Gabrielle,  
  
making animal sounds. Gabrielle didn't move - she let him approach  
  
her.  
  
Suddenly, Callie took out her blowgun and fired. The dart struck  
  
Gabrielle  
  
and she crumpled to the ground. Joxer roared and charged the trainer,  
  
who  
  
was trying to reload the dart gun, but she didn't have time. He  
  
picked her  
  
up and threw her, and she landed hard on the ground. He roared and  
  
charged  
  
at her again. This time a dart from one of Callahan's assistants hit  
  
him in  
  
the shoulder, but he just pulled it out and grabbed her limp body. He  
  
was  
  
ready to kill her when he heard his mate groan. He dropped Callie,  
  
and went  
  
to his mate. She was still unconscious. He didn't understand what was  
  
wrong  
  
with her, but he picked her up, and his eyes were enough to warn  
  
everyone to  
  
stay away. With Gabrielle in his arms, he disappeared into the city.  
  
~**~  
  
~**~  
  
Xena woke up in a hospital bed. She started to get up, but the nurse  
  
stopped  
  
her. "Not so fast, ducks. You took quite the beating."  
  
The woman flashed steel-blue eyes at the nurse. "I've got to get out  
  
of  
  
here. My friend could be in danger."  
  
"I'm afraid, Xena my girl, you aren't going anywhere. You have four  
  
cracked  
  
ribs, and your right arm is broken. My dear brother did quite a job  
  
on you.  
  
I asked that no one disturb you."  
  
"Jett, you bastard. Where's Gabrielle? What did you do with her?"  
  
"Me? Xena, you are in one of the finest hospitals in London thanks to  
  
me,  
  
and you talk to me that way. I don't know where she is, but if my  
  
brother  
  
has her, the police will find her."  
  
Xena got up, holding her bandaged side with her good hand. "I'm  
  
leaving, and  
  
no one had better try and stop me."  
  
Everyone backed off when she gave them a vicious glare. None of them  
  
wanted  
  
to tangle with even an injured Xena. She was like a momma bear, and  
  
she  
  
*would* protect her cub.  
  
~**~  
  
Gabrielle slowly opened her eyes. She waited for them to focus, and  
  
then the  
  
first thing she saw was Joxer. He looked just like he  
  
had when she first met him, only before he had looked strong, but now  
  
he  
  
looked very much like a frightened child.  
  
"Joxer." He didn't understand her. But Gabrielle knew she could get  
  
through  
  
to him. He had taught her the orangutan language when they had  
  
decided they  
  
would go back to Borneo to live after they were wed. She had wanted to  
  
learn, and while she was not exactly fluent, now it was paying off.  
  
She  
  
spoke to him gently in his language. "Joxer, it's all right." He came  
  
over  
  
to her and laid down beside her, soon falling asleep. Gabrielle put  
  
her head  
  
on his chest, and she too fell asleep.  
  
A few hours later, Gabrielle woke up to the sound of Joxer's  
  
screaming. She  
  
opened her eyes. He was lying on his side, in obvious pain. The drug  
  
was  
  
wearing off, and it wouldn't let go easily. He was holding his  
  
stomach.  
  
"Please it hurts! Gabby! Make it stop!" he cried. She didn't know  
  
whether to  
  
rejoice he was speaking English again, or to cry in sympathy for his  
  
anguish.  
  
Gabrielle held him as he kept on screaming. She knew all she could do  
  
was  
  
hold him until it passed. He pulled away from her, and threw up. She  
  
wiped  
  
his face, and held him close again. This went on all night and by  
  
morning he  
  
was exhausted, and was now asleep again. Gabrielle didn't sleep this  
  
time,  
  
she just kept watch over him.  
  
~**~  
  
Xena was running through the cobble-stoned streets of London, trying  
  
to find  
  
her two friends. A coach stopped in front of her, and she look inside  
  
to see  
  
Jace Mansfield and his `friend' Oscar Wilde. "Get in, Xena. We'll  
  
help you  
  
find Gabrielle and Joxer," called Jace.  
  
She stared at him. "Why should I go with you? The only Mansfield I  
  
trust is  
  
missing. No, I trusted the one who's now dead, too."  
  
He looked at her and simply said, "I'm not like Jett. I care about  
  
Joxer and  
  
Gabrielle."  
  
Xena considered his words, but shook her head. "I'd do better on my  
  
own."  
  
"Please, Xena, trust me. I'm not like Jett." 


	7. Joxer of the Jungle 7

The quiet older man in the carriage spoke. "He's right, miss. Please  
  
trust  
  
him."  
  
Xena considered the matter, and finally climbed inside.  
  
~**~  
  
Gabrielle was still watching over Joxer when she heard a soft voice  
  
cooing  
  
to her. "He's really sick ain't he, love?" She looked to see pigeons  
  
looking  
  
back at her.  
  
"Yeah, he is." She'd spent a lot of time with pigeons out in the  
  
gazebo.  
  
They were a gentle and soothing species.  
  
"Anything we can do, darling?"  
  
Gabrielle turned back to Joxer and stroked his hair. "Do you know  
  
where the  
  
Taylor estate is?"  
  
"No. Sorry, love, but human homes look all the same to us."  
  
She felt so drained. If only these pigeons could help. She was glad  
  
she'd  
  
taken some time talking to the ones in her garden after she'd noticed  
  
some  
  
of their words were similar to orangutan. It had taken a while, but  
  
she'd  
  
become quite fluent. "If only you could help. But you can't do what I  
  
need.  
  
I wish Xena was here." She realized she had no idea where "here" even  
  
was.  
  
One of the pigeons got quite excited, for a pigeon. "Hey, love. I  
  
know Xena.  
  
She's the one who feeds us in the park sometimes, and not that old  
  
stale  
  
bread, but real nice tasting popcorn, she does. I heard a fellow call  
  
her by  
  
that name."  
  
Gabrielle looked up again at the brown and white pigeon. "Can you  
  
find her  
  
now and bring her here?"  
  
The pigeon nodded his head. "Tusk can find anyone, love." He turned  
  
to his  
  
flock. "We've got a job. We've got to find Xena - the human with long  
  
dark  
  
hair that feeds us the real good popcorn."  
  
"You mean the one who saved me from that cat, without hurting the  
  
cat," a  
  
small grey bird offered hesitantly.  
  
"Yes, Pie, that's the one." The pigeons flew off with their orders,  
  
the  
  
leader remaining a moment. Tusk looked at Gabrielle. "Don't worry,  
  
love, we  
  
*will* find Xena." With that he flew away.  
  
Joxer was slowly waking up, his expression puzzled. "Did you just  
  
talk to  
  
those birds ?"  
  
She laughed lightly. "Yes. I'm a fast learner, Joxer. Just like you."  
  
He smiled at her weakly, until another wave of pain tore through him.  
  
"Please, Gabby, hold me."  
  
She took him in her arms and sang softly to him. He soon fell asleep  
  
again.  
  
Sleep was the best thing for him right now, she felt. "Find Xena,  
  
Tusk.  
  
Please find her," whispered Gabrielle.  
  
~**~  
  
Xena was pleased to find that Jace and Oscar were sincere in their  
  
efforts  
  
to help locate the missing Mansfield and the artist. Nearly every  
  
alley or  
  
park was searched by one of the three, but they seemed just as far  
  
from  
  
finding the couple after several hours searching as they were when  
  
they  
  
started. Xena was close to frantic - the Joxer she knew would never  
  
hurt  
  
Gabrielle, but that man hadn't been the Joxer she knew. And after a  
  
visit to  
  
the police station, she even knew why.  
  
It appeared that Jett had summoned the police on Blimp and Callie at  
  
the  
  
same time he'd carted Xena off to the hospital. Since neither of them  
  
had  
  
ever seen the eldest Mansfield brother before, they simply thought  
  
his doing  
  
so was sibling revenge for what they had done to the younger triplet.  
  
In  
  
reality, of course, he had been attempting to tie up any loose ends  
  
before  
  
one of them swung around and smacked him in the face. He had even  
  
called off  
  
the police hunt for Joxer, insisting he would do the work himself,  
  
feigning  
  
care and concern. It would be harder to arrange his brother's  
  
silence, but  
  
he needed to find the Amazing Ape first, and see if his mind was  
  
totally  
  
gone, before he had to worry about that.  
  
Meanwhile, upon visiting the station, Xena had discovered that they'd  
  
been  
  
able to bring in animal experts to deal with the poorly treated  
  
animals in  
  
Blimp's show, but there were concerns about finding homes for them,  
  
since  
  
the zoo had no need for any additional of those species. The  
  
veterinary  
  
experts were able to identify the drug that had been given to Killer,  
  
and  
  
had begun detoxifying the gorilla. Xena could only assume the same  
  
thing had  
  
caused the dramatic change in Joxer. Blimp and Callahan were being  
  
held on  
  
attempted murder charges, based on their treatment of the once-again  
  
missing  
  
Mansfield heir. Jace had informed her in the carriage that he'd  
  
visited his  
  
father's solicitor, and not one cent would fall from the estate until  
  
Joxer  
  
was found, alive or dead. And should he be found dead, the will  
  
wouldn't be  
  
opened until a full investigation was completed.  
  
All seemed to be well in hand, except for the missing couple. Xena  
  
wondered  
  
where a wounded animal might go in a strange city. Somewhere he  
  
considered  
  
safe, she thought. Where would Joxer feel safe? Besides of course,  
  
with  
  
Gabrielle.  
  
~**~  
  
As the day wore on, Gabrielle grew bored and hungry, but Joxer was  
  
still  
  
drifting in and out of awareness, and she was afraid to leave him to  
  
seek  
  
food, or even to figure out where he'd brought her. It was a quiet  
  
place,  
  
well-sheltered and green, with the first of the autumn chill present  
  
in the  
  
air, but not yet showing on the leaves. If she strained hard enough,  
  
she  
  
could hear the bustle of the busy city not too far away, but if she  
  
tried to  
  
ignore it, she could almost imagine they were back in Borneo together.  
  
Her love had seemingly ceased the dry heaves, and the last time he was  
  
aware, he had even managed a few moments of lucid conversation before  
  
his  
  
eyes slid back shut again. She hoped this time he'd be completely  
  
himself  
  
when he woke.  
  
She'd had a lot of time to think about all that had happened. If she  
  
had  
  
been unsure about moving back to the island when they had first  
  
discussed  
  
it, she was no longer. Borneo might be physically a rain-forest, but  
  
London  
  
was the real jungle, it seemed. The animals might fight and kill, but  
  
it was  
  
for the purposes of survival, not for fun. Now, not only did she want  
  
to get  
  
back to the island as quickly as possible, but she wanted to take  
  
everyone  
  
she loved along with her. Joxer, of course. But also Xena, her  
  
father, maybe  
  
even Jace. She hadn't made her mind up on Jace yet. But she was fast  
  
deciding that London was too dangerous a place to raise children.  
  
A moan made her aware that Joxer was waking again. Maybe now he'd be  
  
able to  
  
tell her more about what happened.  
  
~**~  
  
Tusk had recruited a large contingent of London's pigeon force by  
  
going to  
  
Trafalgar Square and posting his team all around Nelson's Column. It  
  
was a  
  
nearly mandatory daily stop for most of the population, and soon  
  
there were  
  
aerial search teams dispatched to all parts of the city with a  
  
detailed  
  
description of Xena. If she was anywhere in London, she would be  
  
found. At  
  
least, if she was outdoors at some point.  
  
At that point, Xena was *not* outdoors, but in the Mansfield coach  
  
again,  
  
having searched another section of the city without results. Jace was  
  
becoming agitated, and his companion kept patting him nervously to  
  
calm him.  
  
"Xena," the uncomfortable playwright offered, "Perhaps we should go  
  
back to  
  
Jace's home and take tea. We could use the break." But Mr. Wilde was  
  
talking  
  
to the bodyguard's back, since she'd hopped out of the carriage at  
  
the sight  
  
of an alley they'd missed.  
  
The body she'd spotted turned out to be a rather besotted man of  
  
indeterminate age, who made a few lewd comments to the statuesque  
  
brunette.  
  
She barely refrained from getting more practice with the pinch,  
  
perhaps  
  
timing it to see how long the victim actually did have. She settled  
  
for  
  
slapping the bum across the face, which he was far too inebriated to  
  
even  
  
notice. Turning on her heel, she stormed from the alley, pausing at  
  
the end  
  
to calm herself. Before long, she was going to be just as flustered  
  
as Jace,  
  
if she wasn't careful.  
  
"Tusk," one of the lead pigeon's team cooed, "isn't that her? The  
  
popcorn  
  
lady?" Another circle overhead confirmed Xena's identity.  
  
"Let me take care of this, but stay close," their leader warned. He  
  
swooped  
  
down, landing on the woman's well-dressed shoulder. However, one  
  
doesn't  
  
live for long in London without becoming aware of the hazards that  
  
accompany  
  
the presence of pigeons. She frantically waved Tusk from his place,  
  
and he  
  
reconsidered his tactics. "All of you, gather close!" he called to his  
  
troops. Suddenly, an enormous group of birds surrounded the woman,  
  
who was a  
  
bit frightened by it, but would never show it. Still, she pushed her  
  
way  
  
through them and raced to the carriage, diving in and almost landing  
  
in the  
  
lap of the startled playwright within.  
  
"Pigeons," she gasped, motioning outside to the large feathered  
  
assemblage.  
  
"Swarming me."  
  
Tusk had an idea. "I say, chaps," he called out to the group, "Anyone  
  
here  
  
speak horse?"  
  
~**~  
  
Joxer was vaguely aware of the drug-induced anger he had suffered in  
  
Blimp's  
  
sideshow. He wondered how they'd managed to feed that stuff to  
  
Gabrielle.  
  
Once he'd finished his recitation of how he'd arrived at the show,  
  
and what  
  
little he could remember of what had happened during his stay, he was  
  
glad  
  
his betrothed was angry at Callie, Drake and Blimp, and not at him.  
  
She was  
  
strong for such a little thing, he knew, and looked ready to pull  
  
somebody's  
  
arm off. He tried the kissing thing - it did seem to calm her  
  
somewhat.  
  
In fact, the combination of her tension and anger with the relief of  
  
her  
  
worry over her beautiful monkey-man led her to become far more  
  
involved in  
  
the "kissing thing" than she'd planned. That, and the fact he was  
  
wearing  
  
nothing but a loincloth. "Whew," she panted, finally dragging herself  
  
away,  
  
"You seem to be feeling better."  
  
"Mmmm," Joxer responded, trying to pull her close again.  
  
"No," the artist protested reluctantly, "Can't. We need to find food.  
  
Oh,  
  
stop, please?"  
  
"Mmmm," he said again, responding to the plea in her voice. "Yes.  
  
Food."  
  
"Yes," she sighed in a combination of relief and  
  
disappointment, "Food. Now,  
  
where are we?"  
  
"Is this a game? Xena was teaching me about games. Do I get a clue?"  
  
Gabrielle rolled her eyes and swatted him gently. "This isn't a game.  
  
You  
  
brought me here - where are we?"  
  
He pouted in thought. "I wanted to go home. I was thinking of my real  
  
home -  
  
Sheera, Chula. This felt like home, so I came here. Are we still in  
  
London?"  
  
"I don't know, but I think so."  
  
"Then I think I know where we are."  
  
~**~  
  
Xena fanned herself. Her life had become stranger and stranger ever  
  
since  
  
Gabrielle had brought her jungle love home with her, and most parts  
  
of it,  
  
she even enjoyed. Being attacked by pigeons, however, was not one of  
  
the  
  
better parts. See if she ever fed *them* popcorn again!  
  
The carriage jerked into motion. "Oscar," Jace scolded, "I told you  
  
not to  
  
get Algernon to take us home for tea until we talked to Xena about  
  
it."  
  
The playwright drew himself up prissily. "I didn't. I agreed with you,  
  
remember?"  
  
"Then why are we heading toward the Mansfield estate?" Xena asked,  
  
staring  
  
out the window.  
  
"Sir, Master Jace, sir. I can't get the horses to listen to me."  
  
Algernon's  
  
panicked voice floated in through the window. "They won't stop, and  
  
they won  
  
't turn when I pull on the reins. They seem to only want to go home.  
  
And  
  
there's a pigeon riding on the one's back, sir." The servant sounded  
  
close  
  
to tears.  
  
Xena called out the window. "It's all right, Algernon. No one's upset  
  
at  
  
you. I think the pigeon may have something to do with it." If anyone  
  
had  
  
told her a year ago that she would accept that a bird could tell a  
  
horse  
  
where to go, and the horse would understand and go there, she'd have  
  
called  
  
them daft. But now she wondered if she had misjudged the batch of  
  
birds that  
  
she thought was attacking her. She craned her neck out the window -  
  
there  
  
they were, following at a respectful distance. If they were headed to  
  
the  
  
estate or somewhere nearby, she was certain there was a reason.  
  
~**~  
  
"Well, yes, it does remind me of Borneo, but *where* are we?"  
  
Gabrielle  
  
sometimes wondered if Joxer really understood as much English as it  
  
seemed  
  
he did. He'd just spent the last ten minutes or so explaining why he'd  
  
brought her here - the solitude, the plants. He went on a tangent  
  
about  
  
certain birds that he missed from his home, and how none of the  
  
British ones  
  
quite sounded as nice. She was beginning to lose patience, until she  
  
thought  
  
about almost losing *him*, and she calmed herself again. "Would it be  
  
easier  
  
to explain in orangutan?" She doubted it, but maybe he would focus  
  
better in  
  
his childhood tongue.  
  
Then she heard voices, through the trees, one dear to her heart. The  
  
other  
  
two were arguing among themselves, but not viciously. Then a familiar  
  
form  
  
burst into the clearing where she and Joxer huddled. "Xena!" She  
  
hopped up,  
  
then stumbled, as her dark-haired friend caught her. "How did you  
  
find us?"  
  
Another voice cooed from the tree, "I told you I'd find her, love.  
  
Tusk's a  
  
reliable old bird." She caught sight of the pigeon, preening slightly  
  
and  
  
smoothing his feathers.  
  
"Thank you, Tusk. We owe you. Half of every loaf of bread and bag of  
  
popcorn  
  
is yours until we go back to the island."  
  
"Gabrielle," Xena interrupted, "Are you talking to that bird? And did  
  
I hear  
  
you call out to Joxer in orangutan at the show? By the way - you've  
  
been  
  
here at the Mansfield compound all along, you know."  
  
The artist smiled shyly, going to her betrothed who had managed to  
  
stand,  
  
but not yet move. He put his arm around her, more for support at that  
  
point  
  
than intimacy, and chuckled. "She's full of surprises lately." Xena  
  
didn't  
  
understand why her best friend blushed.  
  
~**~  
  
They sat around the dinner table after Joxer and Gabrielle, in  
  
separate  
  
bathrooms, had long baths. They were having some soup, Cornish hen,  
  
salad,  
  
and for dessert, apple pie with a slice of cheese on top.  
  
Xena looked at her friends - they were so happy to be together again.  
  
Joxer  
  
stared over at Jace. "Where is Jett at this time of day?"  
  
Jace looked up from his drink. "He's probably at the club - Sir  
  
Raleigh Men'  
  
s Club. He's a member. It's located near the London Bridge."  
  
Joxer thought for a moment. "Are you a member, too?" Jace nodded his  
  
head.  
  
"Good, then you can take me there. I'm going to  
  
confront Jett. I've got to know why he did this."  
  
Gabrielle put her hands into Joxer's. "Please, let the police handle  
  
this."  
  
He gazed at her. "No, this is between me and Jett. He tried to have me  
  
killed, and I think I should at least talk to him."  
  
Xena spoke to him, "Joxer, Gabrielle's right. Let the police handle  
  
it."  
  
Joxer looked at her intensely. "Would you?"  
  
Xena shook her head, smiling ruefully. "At least let us come with you,  
  
then."  
  
Joxer nodded his head. They all went out to the coach and got in with  
  
Joxer  
  
helping both Gabrielle and Xena, who smirked at him knowingly,  
  
inside. He  
  
sat next to his beloved, wondering how he was staying so calm when  
  
just  
  
yesterday, he was so angry at everyone and everything he had almost  
  
killed a  
  
good friend. Jett had caused so much trouble, yet being with  
  
Gabrielle gave  
  
Joxer inner peace about dealing with his brother. The doctor had  
  
cleansed  
  
his body of whatever Callie had given him, and he was once again  
  
even-tempered. They soon arrived at the club. Joxer turned to the  
  
others.  
  
"Wait here - this won't take long." Jace rose, but the younger triplet  
  
motioned to him to sit, and Oscar pulled him back down as he  
  
protested.  
  
He entered the club and went up to the desk. "Where can I find Jett  
  
Mansfield ?" The clerk looked at him. "Of course, Master Mansfield,  
  
he's in  
  
the drawing room, sir."  
  
"Thank you." Joxer considered the fact that having two identical  
  
brothers  
  
could help avoid lengthy explanations occasionally.  
  
Joxer walked down the hall, peering in each room. At last he saw the  
  
drawing  
  
room and walked inside.  
  
One of the other men at Jett's table spotted him as he came  
  
in. "Jett, my  
  
good man, isn't that Jace? I must say, it's nice to see he's dressing  
  
more  
  
conventionally these days."  
  
Jett looked up to see Joxer heading towards him. He got up and ran,  
  
knocking  
  
a poor waiter on his backside. Joxer ran after him.  
  
The older Mansfield hesitated just outside the door, not knowing  
  
which way  
  
to run, then headed towards the bridge. He realized that Joxer was a  
  
faster  
  
runner and would soon be catching up.  
  
Jett really didn't want to fight Joxer again. He remembered the last  
  
time.  
  
But he also knew he couldn't handle jail, so he turned and faced  
  
Joxer with  
  
his fists ready.  
  
Joxer stopped in front of him, alert but not threatening. "We don't  
  
need to  
  
do this, Jett. I just want to know why? Why did you do that to me?"  
  
Gabrielle, Xena and Jace came clattering up, but the bodyguard put  
  
out her  
  
arms, stopping her two companions. "Let them handle it," she  
  
whispered.  
  
Oscar approached, wheezing, a couple of minutes later.  
  
Jett swung at Joxer, but Joxer ducked the blow. "I don't want to  
  
fight you."  
  
"I want to fight you! You ruined everything! Why couldn't you stay  
  
dead?!"  
  
Joxer stood there, looking at it all from Jett's viewpoint. "I'm  
  
sorry. I  
  
never meant for anyone to be hurt."  
  
Jett turned away and climbed up on the rail. Joxer slowly approached  
  
him.  
  
"Jett, please come down. We can talk this out."  
  
He shook his head, tears in his eyes. "It's too late for talk. I  
  
killed  
  
father, and almost killed you, too."  
  
"You didn't kill father."  
  
"It was my fault. I was so jealous of you. What I did to you caused  
  
his  
  
heart attack. Good-bye, Joxer." At that, Jett turned and jumped off  
  
the  
  
bridge. Joxer threw off his coat and shoes and dove in after him.  
  
Gabrielle screamed, "NO!" and fainted into Xena's arms. Xena looked  
  
down in  
  
the water and picked out two figures below. Joxer was holding onto  
  
Jett and  
  
swimming towards the bank.  
  
"Gabrielle," she slapped her friend's face, "he's all right! Joxer is  
  
all  
  
right!" The heiress blinked a time or two, and then pulled herself together.  
  
Gabrielle, Xena, Jace and Oscar ran down to the docks, where Joxer was  
  
helping Jett out of the water. "Why? Why did you save me?"  
  
"Because - you *are* my brother." Jett held out his hand to Joxer.  
  
Joxer  
  
took it and they shook. The police came and hand-cuffed Jett. "Do you  
  
have  
  
to take him?"  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, but yes, at least until the bail is set. He's been  
  
named  
  
as an accessory in your kidnapping by Drake O'Malley."  
  
The police took Jett away. Three days later, bail was set and Joxer  
  
and Jace  
  
paid it. Jett's hearing would be in a week. That very night, everyone  
  
gathered around the table for the reading of the will. The triplets  
  
were  
  
informed that the will was newly written, having been signed only days  
  
before their father's death. Lord Mansfield's solicitor began quietly  
  
reading.  
  
"I, Lord Malcolm Mansfield, being of sound mind and failing body,  
  
hereby  
  
leave my estate and worldly goods to all my loved ones.  
  
To my eldest son, Jett, I leave the small house behind the mansion,  
  
and one  
  
third of my money, which will be put in a trust fund to be managed by  
  
his  
  
brother Jace, which he will not be able to control himself until he  
  
is sixty  
  
years old. He will inherit my position in Parliament, as the new Lord  
  
Mansfield, and I fear that such position, combined with great worldly  
  
goods,  
  
would draw him even further into the temptations of greed and power  
  
that  
  
already hold him enthralled.  
  
To my son Jace. He only asked me for one thing, the summer home in the  
  
country, which I happily bequeath him. He also asked me to donate his  
  
portion of the money to charity, with a small percentage going to  
  
support  
  
the Arts.  
  
To my youngest son, Joxer, whom I never really got the chance to know,  
  
although was blessed enough to meet before my death, I leave the  
  
family  
  
estate and all the remainder of my fortune and goods. I know he will  
  
use it  
  
wisely."  
  
The solicitor put down the will. "Well, gentlemen, do you have any  
  
questions?"  
  
"Yes, I have one. How am I supposed to live with my money in a trust  
  
fund?"  
  
"That, sir, is between you and your brother. Good evening, sirs. I'll  
  
show  
  
myself out."  
  
Joxer grabbed Gabrielle by the hand and pulled her outside. She could  
  
tell  
  
he was excited. He swung her around, motioning to the grounds with a  
  
sweeping gesture. "Gabrielle, look at this! This is perfect ."  
  
She seemed confused. "Perfect for what, Joxer?"  
  
"A place for the animals that were at Blimp's sideshow. Look at it,  
  
Gabby!  
  
It's perfect. There's plenty of room, and it's fenced in and there  
  
are no  
  
cages."  
  
"You mean, they would run around free?"  
  
"Yes, but inside here. Both free and protected. It would be their  
  
sanctuary.  
  
Any mistreated animal will be brought here. Think about it,  
  
Gabrielle." His  
  
eyes were shining, and she couldn't help but be captured by his  
  
enthusiasm.  
  
"Who would be in charge of it?"  
  
He smiled at her. "I can only think of one person. Come on, let's  
  
tell her  
  
about it."  
  
They ran back into the house, where Joxer told Xena of his plan. "So,  
  
will  
  
you be in charge? Please say yes, Xena. I trust this with no one  
  
else."  
  
Xena thought for a moment. "On one condition. Jett works for me."  
  
Jett stood there with a shocked look on his face. "Me?" he finally  
  
forced  
  
out, "Why me?"  
  
Xena walked over to him. "Would you rather go to prison?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
Two days later after Jett's hearing, everything had been arranged.  
  
His work  
  
with the animals would be considered as taking the place of jail  
  
time. The  
  
press was kept in the dark about the whole affair, and he was able to  
  
serve  
  
in his father's Parliamentary seat without shadow upon his  
  
reputation. He  
  
even was able to receive a small salary from his trust fund for the  
  
work.  
  
The animals were brought to the estate, and Joxer greeted them. Mooks  
  
and  
  
Frawn came over to him.  
  
"Joxer, we'd like yeh ta meet somebody," requested Mooks.  
  
They took him to Killer. Killer turned and grinned at Joxer - a  
  
gorilla way  
  
of greeting . "Hi, Joxer. I'm very sorry for what I did to you. I  
  
hope you  
  
can forgive me."  
  
"It wasn't your fault, Killer. You were being used. I'd probably have  
  
done  
  
the same thing to you, if I'd been strong enough."  
  
"Thank you, Joxer - and you can call me Kongo."  
  
Joxer nodded and he went back to his love. As he was heading toward  
  
her he  
  
heard a soft voice. "I'm not very good at saying thanks, but thanks.  
  
You  
  
gave me a whole new start."  
  
Joxer nodded his head at Cheetah and hurried on towards Gabrielle. He  
  
grabbed her and twirled her in the air. "Come on. We've got something  
  
important to talk about."  
  
~**~  
  
~**~  
  
Gabrielle stood on the riverbank, in the very spot where, years  
  
before,  
  
Joxer had laid wounded after rescuing her from the crocodile. The  
  
rough dock  
  
he had built looked out of place among the natural beauty, but since  
  
they  
  
did get occasional shipments and even more infrequent visitors, they  
  
felt  
  
some sign of both welcome and indication that this was indeed the  
  
right spot  
  
to stop was warranted.  
  
Her smile was wistful - they'd been away from England for four years,  
  
and  
  
now Xena was coming to visit for the first time. Although they wrote  
  
back  
  
and forth regularly, it took forever for a message to get from Borneo  
  
to  
  
England, and back again. Gabrielle wasn't aware her own father had  
  
died  
  
until almost two months after the fact. It saddened her, but she knew  
  
he'd  
  
been ready, since they'd had many a long letter between them on the  
  
subject.  
  
It was hard knowing her children would never know their grandfather,  
  
though.  
  
As she unconsciously fiddled with the emerald ring and gold band that  
  
she  
  
wore, which stood in stark contrast to her rough clothing and wild  
  
surroundings, her memory turned to the day the animals had come to the  
  
Mansfield estate. Joxer had taken her to the secluded spot where they  
  
had  
  
rested after his escape from the sideshow, and pulled her to him. "I  
  
want to  
  
go home," he murmured into her hair, "but I won't go anywhere without  
  
you.  
  
How long until we can be married?"  
  
She held him so tightly for a moment, she was afraid she might hurt  
  
him. "I  
  
want to go too - as soon as possible. I'll set things in motion  
  
tomorrow -  
  
it could take a month, but maybe less."  
  
It did take a month, but the time flew. She ordered her gown, and in  
  
spite  
  
of the fashion of the time, demanded no hand beading, settling for  
  
simple  
  
white silk, for the sake of speed. Gossip had already snatched their  
  
story  
  
and blown it out of proportion, although it had been fairly larger  
  
than life  
  
to start with, so Gabrielle had sworn the priest to silence, and made  
  
him  
  
clear three different dates on his calendar to confuse those who  
  
might try  
  
to invite themselves to the wedding. They even reserved the chapel,  
  
although  
  
they had decided early on to be married in the Taylor's gazebo.  
  
Although the respectable papers, like the *Times*, weren't interested  
  
in the  
  
sensational story told by a jailed kidnapper to the highest bidder, a  
  
great  
  
many lower quality publishers had vied for the rights to Drake  
  
O'Malley's  
  
tale. Solicitors from both the Mansfield and Taylor families made  
  
discreet  
  
visits to the winning bidder, and the book, although published, named  
  
no  
  
names. The Social Circle was horrified, knowing themselves who the  
  
players  
  
were, but closed ranks around the two families. There was no  
  
charitable  
  
spirit behind the action - they only wished to draw no further  
  
shameful  
  
attention to themselves. The Mansfield and Taylor progeny found  
  
themselves  
  
quickly bereft of social invitations.  
  
It was worse when that young man from the Colonies - Burroughs - began  
  
digging around for information. If he believed the tales that  
  
Gabrielle had  
  
heard whispered and muttered in public, he would have quite a  
  
fanciful story  
  
to tell himself, although the solicitors were watching his dealings  
  
carefully.  
  
So, when the wedding day came with no uninvited guests, it was twice  
  
as  
  
joyous as it would have already been. Xena and Jett arrived, and  
  
Joxer had  
  
been thrilled to see that Mooks and Frawn were along, and that Jett  
  
was  
  
leading Cheetah on a leash. The betrothed pair had spent a great deal  
  
of  
  
time in the last month teaching Joxer's brother and Gabby's best  
  
friend the  
  
languages of the animals - especially the chimp and jaguar tongues.  
  
Jett had  
  
taken quite a liking to the big cat, and spent a great deal of the  
  
time when  
  
he wasn't tending the other creatures with him. Gabrielle assured  
  
Xena that  
  
chimpanzee was very close to orangutan - only the accent was  
  
different - so  
  
she would be well equipped whenever she visited them once they  
  
relocated.  
  
She even threw in a couple of lessons in pigeon for fun.  
  
Speaking of which, a great many of the city's aerial mascots were  
  
present as  
  
well, and all were on their best behavior. Tusk sat proudly in a  
  
place of  
  
honor, perching on the back of a chair beside Mooks. The human guests  
  
were  
  
few, consisting of only Gabrielle's father, Jett, and Oscar Wilde,  
  
outside  
  
of the animals. Xena and Jace stood up with the bride and groom.  
  
The priest paled visibly when he saw Cheetah seated in the aisle  
  
besides  
  
Jett's chair, but the bride managed to calm him, and the entire  
  
ceremony  
  
went off without any difficulty. The man of the cloth did jump when,  
  
shortly  
  
after the declaration of the pair as man and wife, the wildlife  
  
exploded in  
  
a cacophony that drowned out the applause of the few humans. It  
  
seemed that  
  
Jett had been interpreting for the chimps, who passed the information  
  
along  
  
to the others.  
  
The trip back to Borneo had been long, certainly, but since she spent  
  
most  
  
of it in the arms of her new husband, Gabrielle barely noticed the  
  
miles fly  
  
by. It wasn't long after their return to Joxer's adopted family that  
  
Gabrielle realized that she was expecting their first child. The joy  
  
they  
  
felt was only tempered by the sorrow that their friends in England  
  
couldn't  
  
be with them to see their baby, but Gabrielle sent frequent sketches,  
  
since  
  
the one luxury she had been unwilling to do without was art supplies,  
  
so the  
  
boat that provided regular delivery of such became a courier service,  
  
as  
  
well.  
  
Joxer had built them a lovely home high in the trees, not far from the  
  
river. The baby, Josiah, had learned orangutan and human at the same  
  
time,  
  
and now, at almost four, chattered a mile a minute in both, sometimes  
  
intermixing the two. He swung cheerfully through the trees, following  
  
his  
  
aunt Raylan everywhere. She was good with him and, although she  
  
occasionally  
  
lost her patience with the little boy, she would fight anyone else who  
  
criticized him in anyway.  
  
Gabrielle bounced in her toes eagerly as she heard the boat's approach  
  
before it wound around the bend and into sight. She felt a large hand  
  
on her  
  
shoulder, and smiled up into her husbands warm brown eyes. "I told  
  
Raylan to  
  
get Josiah here as quickly as she could. I think they'll make it  
  
before  
  
sunset." She giggled, leaning back against him. Resting with his arms  
  
encircling her waist from behind, the edge to her anticipation was  
  
dulled,  
  
and her contentment took over. She'd have plenty of time with Xena  
  
soon  
  
enough. Chula wandered by, purring that she'd stop over to see Xena  
  
later.  
  
She had mated recently and her litter needed her right now.  
  
When the dark-haired woman finally appeared on the gangplank, the  
  
blonde  
  
broke free of her love's embrace and ran to her, almost knocking her  
  
best  
  
friend to the ground in her excitement. Xena returned the  
  
enthusiastic hug,  
  
and pushed her friend to arm's length. "Not too much to *that*  
  
outfit, now,  
  
is there?" the properly dressed Englishwoman commented, taking in the  
  
rough  
  
brown skirt and tiny green top of her jungle friend.  
  
She giggled, and pointed to her loincloth clad husband. "He tried to  
  
talk me  
  
into wearing only the skirt, but I do still have *some* modesty!"  
  
"Not much, I would venture," Xena scoffed. The blonde shrugged, still  
  
grinning. "Still," the former bodyguard reluctantly admitted, "it  
  
does get  
  
quite hot here, and that looks comfortable."  
  
"It is," the artist answered, sharing a satisfied smile with the man  
  
she  
  
loved. "Too bad I won't be able to wear it much longer." At her  
  
friend's  
  
quirked eyebrow, Gabrielle went on, "I found a shift more comfortable  
  
the  
  
last time I was pregnant." Her smirk was met by surprise and then  
  
joy, as  
  
Xena moved to take Joxer's hand in greeting.  
  
"Another one? And I haven't even met the first yet!"  
  
"Here I am, Auntie Xena," the small boy cried, rocketing from the  
  
trees and  
  
towards her, stopped from tackling her by his father's long arms  
  
scooping  
  
him up at the last minute. Switching to orangutan, he chattered, "She  
  
looks  
  
just like your pictures, mommy, but she's prettier, even. Can she  
  
stay for a  
  
while? Can you, can you?" He was the very image of his father, with  
  
almost-black hair and deep brown eyes.  
  
Joxer chuckled. "Just like you were at that age, little one," he said  
  
to his  
  
sister, who was hanging shyly back. "Come meet Xena, Raylan, or do you  
  
remember when she saved your life?"  
  
"I remember," the slender ape said, "I never said thank you."  
  
"You were pretty young," Xena answered in her language, "It was thanks  
  
enough just to see you were okay. And you've grown so much!"  
  
The female's eyes grew wide. "I didn't know she spoke our talk,  
  
Joxer - you  
  
didn't tell me." She batted her brother's arm, and then turned to Xena  
  
again. "I will always be grateful to you for both my life, and the  
  
gift you'  
  
ve given Joxer, helping him mate with Gabby."  
  
"Daddy, daddy, can we take Auntie Xena and show her the termite mound  
  
I  
  
found earlier?" Josiah begged eagerly.  
  
Seeing the look on the new arrival's face at this idea, Raylan  
  
plucked her  
  
nephew from his father's arms. "I need you to help me with something  
  
right  
  
now, little one. Why don't you let mommy and daddy talk with your  
  
Auntie for  
  
a bit, and we'll catch up later, huh?"  
  
"Thank you, Raylan," Gabrielle sighed, hooking her arm through  
  
Xena's, "we  
  
owe you."  
  
"Yep," her sister-in-law threw back, matter-of-factly.  
  
~**~  
  
Later, in the home in the trees, the three adult humans shared news.  
  
Sheera,  
  
Joxer's adopted mother, was also expecting, as was Keenan's new mate,  
  
and  
  
the older female was quite amused that she would have a new child and  
  
two  
  
new grandchildren fairly close together. Xena informed the couple  
  
sadly that  
  
Oscar Wilde had died, apparently from an ear infection that  
  
progressed into  
  
meningitis. The playwright and Jace had drifted apart, but the middle  
  
triplet had mourned the loss, nonetheless. The story of Chula's new  
  
litter  
  
was told, and the fact that, like his father, Josiah was becoming fast  
  
friends with one of the jaguar cubs. There were papers for Gabrielle  
  
to  
  
sign, dealing with her father's estate, and she was thrilled to learn  
  
that  
  
Lord Taylor had asked Jace be given his place in the House of Lords,  
  
since  
  
there was no suitable male heir.  
  
Xena went on with more tidbits of London news and gossip, until  
  
finally,  
  
Joxer stopped her. "Why haven't you mentioned Jett at all? Is he all  
  
right?"  
  
Xena blushed and looked at the ground, but the conversation halted  
  
briefly  
  
at the return of Raylan and Josiah - the boy tired and willing to  
  
curl up  
  
quietly on his mother's lap.  
  
"So, Xena," the artist prompted again, "Jett?"  
  
She looked at them both, her steel blue eyes earnest. "He's afraid  
  
you hate  
  
him, even though you said you didn't. I tried to tell him - in fact,  
  
I tried  
  
to get him to come with me, but he wouldn't leave the animals, even  
  
though  
  
Jace is quite capable of caring for them these days." She twisted the  
  
ring  
  
on her finger nervously. "He didn't want me to tell you, but I can't  
  
not."  
  
Xena paused and collected her thoughts, and Gabrielle found in her  
  
nervous  
  
anticipation, she was grooming her son's long hair like her jungle  
  
family  
  
did. The realization didn't make her stop. Finally, Xena went  
  
on. "We're  
  
getting married. As soon as I get back. We both loved the animals so  
  
much,  
  
and were spending so much time together, we finally realized there  
  
was more  
  
to it than just them. Of course, Mooks and Frawn played matchmaker  
  
some,  
  
too." After a few moments of stunned silence, Xena finally looked up  
  
at her  
  
friend's faces, expecting to see horror on both. The happy shock that  
  
was  
  
there took her breath away. "You two don't mind?"  
  
"Mind? Xena, we're ecstatic! This is wonderful news - you two are  
  
perfect  
  
for each other, now that he's calmed down." Jace's letters had hinted  
  
that  
  
Jett was romantically involved, but now they understood why more  
  
detail was  
  
never forthcoming.  
  
"Gabby," Joxer said, after hugging his future sister-in-  
  
law, "Wouldn't you  
  
say that it's time for Josiah to see his native land? We could go  
  
back with  
  
Xena, attend the wedding - maybe you could even stay long enough to  
  
have our  
  
second child in one of those fancy London hospitals."  
  
"I don't know if I want to go *that* far." Her face brightened. "But  
  
of  
  
course, we need to go back for the wedding. It will give me a chance  
  
to wrap  
  
up a few things with Poppa's estate, as well." She looked down at the  
  
sleeping child in her lap, and then forlornly at her husband. "I  
  
don't know  
  
*how* we'll manage to talk Josiah into wearing shoes, though."  
  
The laughter that rang out through the jungle dusk blended with the  
  
caws and  
  
calls, as the warmth of the night held them close.  
  
The End 


End file.
